Bensalem Drivers Share Stories Of Commute Around Interstate 95

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — Ellen Garfield learned her lesson Monday.

She drove from her Bensalem home at 7 a.m. Monday headed to Philadelphia International Airport. With Sunday’s collapse of a section of Interstate 95, Garfield decided to try one way to commute as drivers seek detours for what will become the new norm for motorists over the next few months.

“I should have listened to my gut and taken (Route) 130 or 295 and crossed over one of the bridges into Pennsylvania,” she told Patch. “But I drove 95 and got off at Cottman, then down Frankford Avenue through Mayfair, Kensington, etc. I got back on 95 at Aramingo. It took me two hours.”

Garfield needs to return to the airport Thursday. “I’ll take the Blue Route,” she said.

Members of FYI Bensalem’s Facebook page shared commuter routes with Patch about their first experiences figuring out detours and alternate routes to and from work in the wake of the highway collapse.

Bensalem Township officials stated at Monday's council meeting that the highway's reconstruction could take six months.

Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo is asking residents for patience as PennDOT works to fix the Interstate 95 section.

PennDOT has announced detours for those who use the interstate —which transportation officials said typically carries about 160,000 vehicles per day —and SEPTA has added train lines for the morning and evening rush hour commutes.

Paul Lochel works for SEPTA in North Philadelphia. So he needed to make a choice Monday morning.

He took Torresdale Avenue to Linden Avenue to Interstate 95 and got home in an hour, his wife Lisa told Patch Monday. “He said that Torresdale was his best bet,” she said.

Lisa Lochel told Patch Wednesday that her husband's commute is taking him an hour to get home.

"He is still trying to figure out some better ways home," she said.

Reconstruction will take at least four to six months as state officials brainstorm a new design for the section of the roadway that collapsed Sunday morning after a tractor-trailer hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed on the Route 73/Cottman Avenue ramp at around 6:20 a.m. Human remains were found at the scene Monday.

Read more: I-95 Collapse: Everything We Know So Far

That means that motorists may need to experiment a little bit before settling on the perfect route.

"I used Route 295 from exit 30 to exit 47 and then over the Burlington Bristol Bridge," said Valerie Paluszynski said. "No issues at 4:30 p.m. No traffic lights and the 65 mph speed limit made up for some extra distance."

Evelyn Houck stayed away from the area altogether.

“I just drove through New Jersey and traffic was not that bad over there,” she said. "I took the New Jersey Turnpike back to Bristol, and then Route 413 and down to Route 1 and it was smooth sailing.”

Until she got to the Neshaminy Mall exit. “Traffic was backing up,” she said.

While Route 1 gridlock is expected with the construction of improvements to the highway, others worry about the gridlock they’ll be dealing with for months to come.

“I have been driving on 95 for 23 years,” said Valerie Witzel. “I am a scrub nurse for a major hospital in the city. This is a nightmare for all medical staff especially if you are on call.”

TMA Bucks, Bucks County's transportation agency, encouraged commuters who have the ability to telecommute to do so to keep unnecessary vehicles off the road for workers that absolutely need to be out there. The agency also encouraged people to ride SEPTA Regional Rail if they can.

Other suggestions for motorists:

PennDOT Interstate 95 alternatives

Heading northbound:

• Take I-676 West to I-76 West
• Take Exit 304B for U.S. 1/ Roosevelt Boulevard north
• Go to Woodhaven Road/Route 63 exit and head east, which will take you to I-95 north of the collapse.

Heading Southbound:

• Take Exit I-95 onto state Route 63/Woodhaven to U.S. 1/Roosevelt Blvd. south
• Get on I-76 East, to 676 East and then merge onto I-95 southbound

SEPTA Adding Trains

SEPTA is operating three extra morning and late afternoon trains on the Trenton Line, and adding capacity to regularly scheduled Trenton, West Trenton, and Fox Chase Lines during peak hours to help support the City and region’s travel needs following yesterday’s I-95 collapse.

SEPTA is also bolstering staffing to ensure reliable and frequent service is available on the Market-Frankford Line, buses, and other transit service. Customers traveling Monday should be aware of the following:

Extra Trenton Line Service

• AM: 6:40 a.m. and 8:03 a.m. from Trenton, along with 8:25 a.m. from Holmesburg Juncton
• PM: Trains will run at 3:05 p.m. from Suburban Station to Holmesburg Junction, along with 4:30 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. to Trenton
• These trains are additions to regularly scheduled trips

Other Regional Rail Service

• SEPTA will increase capacity on the Trenton, West Trenton, and Fox Chase Regional Rail Lines by adding rail cars to scheduled peak service trains. This means adding rail cars to regularly scheduled trains.
• Parking continues to be free at Regional Rail Stations and we will be deploying Operations personnel and ambassadors to assist customers Philadelphia Parking Authority parking lots near SEPTA stations at Fern Rock, Torresdale, and Fox Chase will also be free

Bus Routes

• Bus Routes 70, 78, & 84 will be detoured until further notice due to I-95 bridge collapse.

SEPTA is encouraging customers to monitor the SEPTA website – www.septa.org, SEPTA social media accounts, the official SEPTA App, and local media for real-time service information and updates before traveling.

TMA Bucks has provided regional rail line schedules for the following:

• Lansdale Doylestown Line
• Trenton Line
• Warminster Line
• West Trenton Line

Fares

Regional Rail passengers can purchase fares onboard with a credit card if needed. Information on SEPTA fares and Key Cards is available here or https://www.iseptaphilly.com/key.

The SEPTA Key truck will be at Cornwell Heights Station at 799 Station Ave. in Bensalem.