Skip to main content

Plan for Philadelphia's I-95 to 'safely and quickly reopen'

FHWA earmarks $3m to help and public transit capacity is boosted 'until further notice'
By Adam Hill June 15, 2023 Read time: 1 min
US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg (third from right) and FHWA's Shailen Bhatt (far right) survey work on the damaged I-95 (image: Commonwealth Media Services)

Interstate 95 in the US city of Philadelphia is set to be reopened "safely and quickly" after a section of the roadway collapsed following a truck fire last weekend.

South-eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Septa) says it is boosting public transport capacity 'until further notice'.

The highway around the incident - usually a busy section of road - is currently closed in both directions and a number of detours are in operation.

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released $3m to support Pennsylvania DoT (PennDoT)’s "traffic mitigation efforts...and emergency repairs necessary to restore this essential traffic", said US Department of Transportation under secretary for policy Carlos Monje. 

Another $7 million of Pennsylvania state funds have also been earmarked.

Aside from mass transit, alternatives such as car-pooling are suggested for drivers facing delays and detours.

The demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is expected to be complete today (Thursday), which authorities say is "well ahead of schedule".

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said: “Getting I-95 repaired and reopened is our top priority – and we are working our tails off." 

The latest information on I-95 is available here

Related Content

  • US to stage two-day summit on traffic incident management
    June 14, 2012
    The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will host a two-day summit on 26-27 June on advancing the culture of traffic incident management (TIM) throughout the country. US Department of Transportation (USDoT) Secretary Raymond LaHood and Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez will welcome the group and provide opening remarks demonstrating the commitment of FHWA and USDoT senior executives in support of safe, quick traffic incident responses on the nation's roadways. Those attending this summit incl
  • Thermal cameras address US railroad deaths
    March 9, 2021
    Four-year study in North Carolina uses thermal cameras to prevent fatal trespassing
  • Big event traffic management: Taylor's Version
    February 28, 2025
    StreetLight crunches Swifties numbers on US Eras Tour to find a clear winner
  • Viaduct deck renewal creates detour dilemma for MassDOT
    May 26, 2016
    As the deck renewal of the I-91 viaduct in Springfield gets underway, David Crawford looks at the preparation and planning to ease the resulting traffic congestion. Accommodating the deck renewal of a 4km-long/four-lanes in each direction viaduct in the heart of Springfield (Massachusetts’ third largest city), has involved the state’s Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in a massive exercise in transport research and ITS-based area-wide preplanning and traffic management. Supporting a workzone of well ab