The collapse of a section of Interstate 95 near Philadelphia raises the cost of goods on the East Coast, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at the scene of the deadly overpass collapse, Buttigieg said there is “no doubt” the incident will affect the price of goods by increasing shipping costs.
On average, about 160,000 vehicles a day used the affected portion of the Interstate, he said, about 8 percent of which were commercial trucks, or about 12,800.
“Clearly, a large portion of America’s GDP follows that path every day,” Buttigieg said. “The trucks will have to take a longer and more expensive route to get to their destination.”
Buttigieg said the Transportation Department is working to set up alternative routes for truck drivers and is in contact with Google and its subsidiary Waze to optimize travel advice for drivers.
Interstate 95 is the main north-south highway of the East Coast, stretching 3,000 kilometers from the Canadian border in Maine to Miami
The aftermath of a collapsed elevated section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia can be seen Monday. The disaster disrupts a major truck route on the east coast
I-95 is the main north-south highway of the East Coast and stretches 3,000 kilometers from the Canadian border in Maine to Miami.
On Sunday, a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline overturned on an exit ramp from Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and caught fire, killing the driver and shutting down the main transportation artery on the East Coast.
Officials have said it could take several months to rebuild the collapsed section of the highway.
Subodha Kumar, a professor of statistics, operations and data science at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, said it is impossible to calculate the magnitude of shipping delays and increased costs due to diversions without analyzing all alternative truck routes.
But, Kumar said, the additional costs will be significant and the impact will last for weeks or more. It will affect trade to Canada and create cascading effects throughout the supply chain, he said.
“Any little disturbance can multiply exponentially and can make the changes much bigger,” he said, noting that the effect will be immediate on perishable foods.
The head of the Federal Highway Administration was on site Monday while the US National Transportation Safety Board investigated.
Buttigieg toured the scene Tuesday, meeting with the mayor of Philadelphia and other state and local officials.
He said the federal government plans to provide emergency funding to help with reconstruction, but has not given a timetable for the highway’s restoration.
Buttigieg toured the scene Tuesday, meeting with the mayor of Philadelphia and other state and local officials
The northern section was left with a gaping hole as the southbound viaduct was closed
A general view shows the partial collapse of Interstate 95 following a fire under an overpass in Philadelphia on Sunday
A person surveys the site of a collapsed elevated section of Interstate 95 on Tuesday
Buttigieg visited the scene of the disaster and then, over the sound of heavy machinery and destruction, told reporters that “all resources necessary will be made available” to help Pennsylvania repair the bridge as quickly and safely as possible.
The collapse is causing heavy traffic in Philadelphia as the summer travel season begins, upending hundreds of thousands of morning commutes, disrupting countless businesses and forcing trucking companies to seek alternative routes.
Excavation teams worked Monday to clear the site, with authorities watching Tuesday as a test of traffic solutions.
Pennsylvania state police said they believe the driver died in the accident, though the city’s coroner has not officially identified the body pulled from the wreckage.
Relatives of truck driver Nathaniel Moody confirmed he was the driver of the tractor-trailer, now believed to be dead.
The resulting fire caused the collapse of the northbound lanes of I-95. Southbound lanes were affected by the heat from the blaze, authorities say.
The collapsed section of I-95 was part of a $212 million reconstruction project that was completed four years ago, said Brad Rudolph, spokesman for the state’s Department of Transportation.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Michael Carroll said demolition work continues 24 hours a day and his agency will release a replacement plan for the roughly 100-foot section of I-95 on Wednesday.
The remains are believed to be those of Nathaniel Moody, whose family identified him as the driver of a tractor-trailer that caught fire on Sunday morning
Buttigieg said he had not seen any estimate of what kind of cost increases consumers could face, but said the trucking industry is working to make the most of alternative routes.
“At the end of the day, there is no replacement for I-95 that is fully operational,” Buttigieg said.
I-95 is currently closed in both directions.
The elevated southern portion of I-95 will need to be demolished, as will the northern side, officials say.
State police officials said the transportation company contacted them about the accident and was cooperating, though they have declined to identify the company or say whether it was properly licensed to carry gasoline.
Authorities say the driver was heading north to deliver fuel to a convenience store a few miles away when the truck spun off a winding ramp and spun out of control, landing on its side and rupturing the tank.
Reconstruction of the stretch is likely to drag on into July or August.
In California, a similar situation occurred with a freeway ramp in Oakland. It was replaced in 26 days, said Joseph L. Schofer, a retired professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University.
In Atlanta, an elevated section of Interstate 85 collapsed in a fire, closing the heavily traveled route through the heart of the city in March 2017. It took authorities there 43 days to replace the span, Schofer said.