Governor Shapiro: I-95 To Re Open “As Soon As Possible”
by Alex Lloyd Gross
June 13, 2023
“As soon as possible, we have all hands on deck”, said Governor Josh Shapiro when asked when the rebuilding will be done. “The demolition, that should be done by Thursday , even though experts said about a week or more”, he said. Then the work comes to the rebuild and repave the road. . Pennsylvania fill will be used to shore up the road way, before it will be paved.
Both Shapiro and Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll have stated that this process is safe, expedient and will be able to withstand the traffic that will ride over it once the road is paved. The oversized loads of fill, coming from Delco will be escorted by state police, to the site. A press conference was held today with the Governor, who assured the media that the project will be done quick.
Southbound I-95 exit at Cottman Ave, is open, as is State Road and some of Cottman Ave. Motorists heading out and need to get on I-95 should visit this website. State and federal money is going to be spent on this project and Shapiro promised a full accounting of every penny when it is over.
Officials announced that a webcam will be up and running soon, so that people could keep track in real time the progress that the work is getting done.
When the truck crashed and caught fire, multiple roads were closed. Some have since reopened. There is quite a bit of commerce in this area and both Shapiro and Mayor Kenney assured people that employees and customers will be able to access those buildings.
Officials could not an update on when the project will be totally done. It is going to cost tens of millions of dollars. Maybe more. When asked about financial liability for the trucking company, or reimbursement, Shapiro would only say that it is being looked at and any talk of court actions are premature.