Crews complete demolition of I-95 collapse site and begin rebuilding phase

Less than a week after a deadly truck crash and fire led to the collapse of an elevated portion of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia, crews have completed demolition of the crash site and have entered the rebuilding phase.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the first major step in the reconstruction process on Thursday, stating the demolition of the damaged portion of I-95 was done days ahead of schedule.

Now that the demolition is finished, the Philadelphia area-based Buckley & Company will begin to fill in the damaged stretch of the highway and rebuild the new section of road after delivering the first shipments of foamed glass aggregate to the work site.

PennDOT employees and contractors will continue working 24/7 to reopen the roadway as safely and quickly as possible, officials said.

Livestream of I-95 reconstruction

A livestream was set up by Gov. Shapiro on Thursday so that everyone can see every step of the rebuilding process in real time.

Léelo en español aquí.

Pa. State Police escort trucks carrying backfill material

Pennsylvania state police escorted trucks carrying the backfill material -- a specially-designed, Pennsylvania-made glass aggregate -- to the site of the collapse throughout the day so that the crews would be ready to work once the demolition was completed.

Officials estimated that 100 truck loads would be needed to fill the hole on I-95 that's about 100 feet wide.

Due to the time it will take to completely rebuild the roadway, Gov. Shapiro said the recycled glass aggregate from a Delaware County company will fill the underpass area, bringing it up to surface level. Crews will then pave over it so that three lanes of traffic can reopen each way. The backfill is only a temporary solution however.

I-95 collapse Jun 14, 2023

I-95 reconstruction plan: Backfill to close the gap until permanent solution built

I-95 collapse Jun 14, 2023

Officials unveil rebuilding plan for I-95

I-95 collapse Jun 14, 2023

Delco company behind tons of glass nuggets being used to rebuild I-95

The millions it will cost to repair the highway

Also on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration announced the immediate availability of $3 million in emergency relief funds to help PennDOT offset rebuilding costs for emergency operations, detour routes as well as preliminary engineering, surveys and design for the permanent restoration of I-95.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and other officials recently visited the collapse site to assess the damage. Gov. Shapiro said he will continue to remain in contact with Secretary Buttigieg and President Joe Biden to ensure Pennsylvania has access to all federal resources as the rebuild continues.

So what will it cost?

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt told NBC10's Lauren Mayk that the preliminary cost estimate for the emergency repairs appeared to be in the $25 million to $30 million range. Federal emergency relief funds would help cover those costs.

Rendering of I-95 temporary reopening

PennDOT shared a rendering of what the temporary I-95 roadway reopening will look like while the bridge is being replaced. You can view the rendering here.

Detour information and routes

PennDOT has primary detour routes in the following areas:

• I-95 Southbound: Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 South, 76 East, 676 East
• I-95 Northbound: I-676 West, I-76 West, U.S. 1 North to Route 63 East (Woodhaven Road) 

Commuters in the area can also expect closures and detours in the following areas:

• Castor Avenue on-ramp for I-95 northbound
  • Closed
• Aramingo Avenue/I-95 on and off-ramps
  • On-ramp to I-95 northbound closed
  • Betsy Ross off-ramp to I-95 northbound closed
• Bridge Street ramp
  • I-95 on-ramp at Bridge Street closed.
  • All traffic on Tacony Street will flow northbound only from Bridge Street to New State Road.
• Tacony Street and Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
  • Tacony Palmyra Bridge traffic onto Tacony Street closed. All traffic continues westbound onto Levick Street.
• Cottman Avenue exit and State Road closures
  • State Road from Cottman Avenue to Longshore Avenue will be one-way, southbound travel only.
• Southbound I-95 detour
  • Exit I-95 southbound at Cottman Avenue.
  • At the end of the ramp, right on Bleigh Street.
  • Follow Bleigh to State Road, make a left onto State.
  • Travel State Road South to Longshore Avenue.
  • Re-enter I-95 southbound at State Road and Longshore Avenue.
• Northbound I-95 detour
  • Exit I-95 at Aramingo Avenue.
  • At the end of the ramp, make a left onto Aramingo Avenue.
  • Follow Aramingo Avenue to Tacony Street. Turn right.
  • Take Tacony Street northbound around Tacony-Palmyra Bridge loop to New State Road. Continue northbound.
  • Travel New State Road to Milnor Street and re-enter I-95 northbound.