I-95 Rebuild Will Take Months After Collapse; Gov. To Declare Disaster

NORTH PHILADELPHIA — It will take months to rebuild a portion of Interstate 95 that collapsed Sunday morning, creating "remarkable devastation" in Northeast Philadelphia after a tanker below the roadway caught fire, the governor said, adding he would declare a disaster Monday to expedite access to federal funds.

The tanker remained trapped Sunday evening, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who said at a press conference late Sunday that authorities are working to identify anyone who may have been caught in the fire and collapse, but that no motorists on the interstate were hurt or killed.

"The situation remains fluid," Mayor Jim Kenney said at the press conference, specifying authorities were not aware of any injuries or deaths.

Northbound I-95 has completely collapsed, according to Shapiro, while the southbound interstate is structurally unsound. The interstate remained closed in both directions as of about 5:30 p.m.

A complete rebuild of the affected area near the Cottman Avenue exit is expected to take "some number of months," with a more concrete timeline pending engineers' review, according to Shapiro.

"All of our federal partners have pledged a complete and total support and assistance," he said, later adding, "We’re going to move as quickly as possible."

The affected segment of the interstate typically carries about 160,000 vehicles per day, according to Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll.

Southbound drivers are advised to detour using Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), followed by U.S. 1 South and Interstates 76 East and 676 East, according to the city of Philadelphia, which advised northbound travelers to take Interstates 676 West and 76 West, then U.S. 1 North and Route 63 East. For more information on detours, visit pa.gov/i95updates.

SEPTA is adding capacity on its Trenton, West Trenton and Fox Chase lines, and will temporarily bus the Cynwyd line, according to CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards, who added free parking would be available at Fern Rock, Fox Chase and Torresdale.

“We are all going to need some extra patience in the coming days” she said at the press conference, asking employers to be flexible. “It’s going to take longer than normal to get to work tomorrow.”

The fire occurred around 6:20 a.m. under the interstate, according to authorities, who added the blaze was under control about an hour later, although the emergency response is ongoing.

6ABC reported that the truck contained thousands of gallons of gasoline and manholes in the area were exploding due to the fire.

Runoff from the incident entered the Delaware River but was being mitigated by the Coast Guard, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported no city responders were hurt. The incident did not affect drinking water quality, according to the Philadelphia Water Department.

Those in the city's northeast area should expect delays in trash and recycling collection, according to the streets department, which stressed that residents citywide should continue to set their materials out as usual.

Mark Fusetti, a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, said he was driving south toward the city’s airport when he noticed thick plumes of black smoke rising over the highway. As he passed the fire, the road beneath began to “dip,” creating a noticeable depression that was visible in video he took of the scene, he said.

He saw traffic in his rearview mirror come to a halt. Soon after, the northbound lanes of the highway crumbled.

“It was crazy timing,” Fusetti said. “For it to buckle and collapse that quickly, it’s pretty remarkable.”

President Joe Biden was briefed on the collapse and federal authorities have offered assistance. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was also monitoring the collapse and tweeted he had spoken with Shapiro.

The fire was strikingly similar to another blaze in Philadelphia in March 1996, when an illegal tire dump under I-95 caught fire, melting guard rails and buckling the pavement.

The highway was closed for several weeks, and partial closures lasted for six months. Seven teenagers were charged with arson. The dump’s owner was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $3 million of the $6.5 million repair costs, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.