A section of Interstate 95 will likely be closed for a significant period of time after the highway partially collapsed on Sunday.
The incident occurred at around 6:20 a.m. when a tanker truck caught fire near the Cottman Avenue exit in northeast Philadelphia, causing an elevated section of the highway to collapse. Pennsylvania state police closed all lanes of I-95 between the Woodhaven and Aramingo exits, according to the City of Philadelphia website.
There is potential for traffic delays for the Penn community, the University's Division of Public Safety said in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
“The I-95 highway collapse will have an effect on traffic throughout the region for the foreseeable future, with the impact most focused in the area of northeast Philadelphia in which the collapse occurred,” DPS said.
DPS encouraged Penn community members who commute through the area to reference its traffic advisory as well as the City of Philadelphia website, which provides maps, detours, and public transit details.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro shared more information about the plan to rebuild the collapsed section at a news conference on Wednesday. The plan is to backfill the gap in the highway and pave over it, although Shapiro did not give an exact timeline for the project.
In the face of increased traffic congestion due to the collapse, Philadelphia City Councilmember Mike Driscoll introduced a resolution for Thursday's City Council meeting to re-examine the possibility of the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Project. The proposal would extend SEPTA's Broad Street Line to connect northeast Philadelphia with Center City.
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