U.S. Transportation Sec. Buttigieg promises funds to repair I-95, PennDOT rebuild plan coming Wed.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Philadelphia on Tuesday to tour the site of the collapse of a section of I-95.

While taking a moment to speak to a gathering of reporters, the secretary promised that federal funding would be available in order to get I-95 repaired as soon as possible.

"There's no question in my mind that all the resources that PennDOT needs federally will be available. We've already made it clear that they are available ever since the governor's disaster declaration made it possible," said Buttigieg.

During the visit, Buttigieg met with Mayor Jim Kenney, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll, SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards, and other local leaders.

He said that he appreciated the speed of the response to the tragedy from local officials and the cooperation he sees in these government agencies in working to get the highway repaired.

He was also struck by the extent of the damage the crash did to the roadway.

"You can very directly see in the burn marks and the twisted metal what the effects are when thousands of gallons of combustible fuel burn directly beneath a structure like this," he said.

When asked about the potential impact that the I-95 collapse could have on the nation's supply chain, Buttigieg noted the importance of the roadway in the country's economy, and said expenses involved with finding new routes could put "upward pressure" on the costs of goods.

That section of the roadway sees about 160,000 vehicles per day -- about eight-percent of which, his office said, consists of truck traffic.

"Obviously, that is a lot of America's GDP moving along that road every single day," he said.

He said trucks would need to find alternative routes, but argued that officials are working to get the highway repaired quickly and that city officials are working to ensure goods are still moving through the region "as efficiently as possible."

Asked just how long it might take to repair the roadway, Buttigieg deferred to PennDOT.

In taking a moment to discuss ongoing efforts at the site, PennDOT's Carroll said that crews were currently demolishing the southbound lanes at the site and that the agency plans to present a reconstruction plan at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Governor Josh Shapiro will also be at the site to provide updates on the response.

Earlier this week, Carroll said that an inspection of the site has shown that the southbound lanes will need to be demolished.

As officials spoke about conditions of the roadway and surrounding areas, the sounds of machines pulling apart the damaged roadway filled the air.

The demolition began Monday and on Tuesday workers could be seen tearing down the damaged southbound section of I-95.

According to Carroll, demolition should take four to five days.