A portion of the elevated Interstate 95 bridge in Northeast Philadelphia, United States, collapsed last Sunday, June 11, after a large truck fire. The vehicle was carrying an oil-based product, and this was said to cause the fire. In consequence, the entire section of northbound lanes fell down, and the highway was eventually closed. This bridge is known for being heavily traveled as one of the main north-south arteries on the East Coast of the United States.
The Philadelphia Fire Department Chief, Derek Bowmer, stated that the northbound lanes of the Interstate 95 had burned down due to the intense fire, while the southbound lanes were affected by the heat in the incident. Moreover, this section northbound lane section was part of a major reconstruction project, which was only completed five years ago, and it costed a total of 212 million dollars.
The Philadelphia authorities warned the public about possible delays and traffic issues. As a result, it was advised to take alternative routes, or simply, avoid the area. In addition, they also stated that firefighters’ brigade was delayed by almost an entire hour while trying to get to the scene of the accident.
New (& a bit easier) I-95 NB/SB detours now in place. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/e8sxdkdSFk
— Chandler Lutz (@ChandlerLutzTV) June 13, 2023
The Secretary of Transportation for Pennsylvania, Michael Carroll, affirmed that the burned portion of the highway is the way for approximately 160,000 vehicles a day and could potentially be the most important one in the state of Philadelphia. As a result, numerous alternative routes to avoid the bridge have been shared, as the accident will be causing considerable traffic issues. Due to this reason, keeping away of the area is strongly recommended.
