By Caelin Grambau, University of Pittsburgh English Writing & Spanish double major
June 23 UPDATE
Governor Josh Shapiro and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll officially reopened six lanes of traffic on I-95 after the deadly fire and collapse of the roadway. The roadway was filled with a specially designed, Pa-made recycled glass aggregate and traffic is now flowing in both directions.
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On the morning of June 11, 2023, a tanker truck caught fire under I-95, causing a portion of the highway near the Cottman Avenue exit to Northeast Philadelphia to collapse. While the fire was placed under control around 7:30 am, there was still significant damage to the highway itself, forcing the closure of the area. Residents and travelers should expect delays and traffic detours as the area continues to be repaired.
In a recent briefing with President Biden, Governor Shapiro and the president took an aerial tour of the area and discussed the Shapiro administration’s “all-hands-on-deck response,” as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reported in their most recent update on Saturday, June 17. In the briefing, Governor Shapiro announced that I-95 will reopen within the next two weeks.
While the demolition and repair of I-95 has been continuing ahead of schedule, PennDOT is still urging travelers to follow the detours listed below. According to their website, southbound travelers can go as far south as Exit 30 (Cottman Avenue) and Northbound travelers can go as far as Exit 26 (Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue).
Southbound I-95 detour (local)
- Exit I-95 southbound at Cottman Avenue.
- At the end of the ramp, right on Bleigh Street.
- Follow Bleigh to State Road, and 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 (local)
- 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 the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge loop to New State Road. Continue northbound.
- Travel New State Road to Milnor Street and re-enter I-95 northbound.
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 is 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.
More information on the collapse and local detours can be found on PennDOT’s website on their I-95 updates page.
