Repaired portion of I-95 in Philadelphia reopens ahead of schedule

By Mallika Kallingal, Jay Croft and Rob Frehse CNN

(CNN) — The damaged portion of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, which collapsed 12 days ago, has been repaired and has reopened ahead of schedule, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced.

“We demolished a roadway, we rebuilt I-95 in just 12 days. Through that process we showed the nation what Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are all about,” Shapiro said, speaking at a press conference on Friday morning.

Engine 38 of the Philadelphia Fire Department led the first vehicles across the section of the repaired highway. They had been the first ones on the scene when a section of northbound I-95 through the city was damaged in a tanker truck accident on June 11.

The governor acknowledged the loss of the tanker truck driver Nathan Moody and thanked the first responders who put out the fire in the initial hours after the accident.

Six lanes of I-95 have reopened to motorists. “And I must say, its a great road. I just drove over it to get here,” Shapiro said.

He thanked President Joe Biden for his personal attention, along with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, among others, noting their help and collaboration.

“This was a moment of civic pride for Pennsylvania … When we work together, we can get stuff done,” Shapiro added.

Three lanes are open in both directions of the interstate and they will ease conditions for commuters while work continues on rebuilding the outer sections of the interstate’s permanent bridge, the transportation department said.

“They did it day-in and day-out, literally 24/7. They worked through the rain, they worked through the night, they worked through the heat, and a bunch of the dads worked on Father’s Day,” Shapiro said.

The affected part of the highway typically carries about 160,000 vehicles through Philadelphia daily.

And the collapse caused major disruption for traffic, with the primary detour spanning about 23 miles using state or interstate roads, local transportation officials previously said.

The temporary roadway will feature three 11-foot lanes in each direction, with a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour. There will be no shoulders on the temporary roadway, the governor said. And motorists are being encouraged to drive safely along the temporary roadway as it will also be an active work zone.

“I hope the people of Philly will continue to be partners and drive through this safely … I hope everybody can go through this at a safe speed and keep each other safe,” said Michael Carroll, PennDOT’s transportation secretary.

“The building trades folks are the real heroes here – they constructed this in a skillful and speedy way, and I am eternally grateful for their dedication,” Carroll added.

More than 200 members of the Philadelphia building trades worked around the clock to repair the stretch of road, the governor said. And engineers have already begun designing and ordering materials for a new permanent bridge.

“In less than two weeks, this site has gone through a notable transformation. Proof that ingenuity, determination and teamwork leads to solutions,” Mayor Kenney said.

Raceway gets unusual request to help

Gov. Shapiro and others who spoke at the re-opening Friday morning stressed the all-hands-on-deck nature of the road repair. Those contributing included not only road engineers and construction workers but also the Pocono Raceway, with Shapiro joking that not many people realized he was a Nascar fan.

Officials at the raceway got an unusual call for help from the state’s transportation department, a month before one of the biggest sporting events in Pennsylvania, the Pocono 400.

The call came in while employees at the raceway, about 100 miles north of the collapsed road, were in a staff meeting Wednesday about the race, which is scheduled for July 23.

“We had our hands full with what we do every day and the preparations for the Pocono 400,” Ricky Durst, a raceway spokesman, told CNN. “They were close to wrapping up this I-95 project and had some weather forecast, and they wanted to be prepared.”

The state wanted the raceway’s truck-mounted jet dryer at the I-95 construction site in case of rain, which would have spoiled the project’s timeline, Durst said.

If the asphalt wasn’t dry, Durst said, officials couldn’t apply paint for the lines.

Gov. Shapiro confirmed the novel request on Twitter.

“To rebuild I-95 on time, we need 12 hours of dry weather to complete the paving and striping process. With rain in the forecast, we reached out to Pocono Raceway for help,” Shapiro tweeted.

Officials at the raceway, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary hosting NASCAR events, drove the jet dryer to the construction site and spent about six hours standing by Thursday.

“Ultimately, they didn’t need the technology. Mother Nature cooperated and the construction schedule stayed right on pace,” Durst said.

Durst said race workers prepare to use the jet dryer at every event at the Pocono Raceway.

“Every weekend we prepare for bad weather, it makes a great weekend when those jet dryers don’t have to come out on the track,” he said.

The section of interstate crumbled after a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed and exploded in flames under the highway, officials said. The collapse caused major traffic disruptions.

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CNN’S Samantha Beech and Danny Freeman contributed to this report