Tragedy struck the East Coast I-95 highway in the early hours of Sunday, June 11th. A cargo truck carrying around 8,500 gallons of gasoline bound for delivery to a local gas station crashed under the highway, causing an explosion that weakened and eventually led to the I-95 collapse.
The collapse was caught on video by a motorist who noticed smoke billowing from the scene. Mark Fussetti, the owner of the footage, told CNN, “I realized what happened when I looked in my rearview mirror. I see 95 – all of the cars stopping and then I learned, shortly after that the road had just collapsed and what was going on.”
The accident caused massive traffic interruptions and rerouting of vehicles. It is estimated that around 160,000 vehicles pass the I-95 in and out of Philadelphia daily, so this major collapse is expected to affect motorists until the road is repaired.
According to the authorities, they are investigating how the accident happened, including the company who owned the tanker truck but have yet to name them and the driver. After the incident, responders were able to recover a body that was immediately sent to the authorities for identification.
Road Repair Could Take Months
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) came forward, saying that they have launched an investigation on the I-95 collapse but the demolition could take at least five days to clear out the rubble. Following this, they have not set a clear timeline for when the road will be repaired and functional again.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said, “We have to get in and see what we think happened with the tanker truck…There are lots of different scenarios.”
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a disaster declaration because of the accident. He warned residents of the impact of the road collapsing and that the government is working in unison to direct detours for vehicles who normally would pass by the damaged road.
Federal investigators have also stepped in to assess the situation but aren’t expecting to see results unless the rubble has been taken away and they can get a better picture of the scene.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also extended the help of his office in dealing with the investigation and repairs.
I-95 Collapse Repairs Will Be Costly
In situations like this, the cost of repairs is expected to be a lot. So the government and federal investigators are working on finding the funds to initiate and finish the repairs.
One method that they are looking at is bypassing red tape to ask the government for money. The announcement of disaster declaration by Governor Shapiro almost immediately after the accident would allow the state to tap into federal funds for the reconstruction. Currently, the state has around $7 million made expressly available for the repairs. But this massive collapse is expected to cost so much more.
As of the moment, the investigation is hindered by the rubble of the I-95, and unless it’s all moved, authorities have yet to know how the accident came about. Different agencies are also waiting for the clear to start repairs which are expected to need round-the-clock workers on the rebuilding of the infrastructure. The solution for traffic right now is detours and the opening of other roads for vehicles that need to pass through the I-95. Aside from the timeline of the demolition, the authorities have not set a date for when they estimate the section of I-95 is going to be passable.