November 6, 2023 – At an event today, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll marked a major milestone as work on the permanent repair of I-95 continues safely and efficiently. PennDOT was joined by Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, City of Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director for the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Michael Carroll, P.E. and other officials to commemorate the shifting of traffic from the temporary roadway onto the newly completed outer travel lanes of the new permanent bridge on Interstate 95 in northeast Philadelphia. The traffic shift, which will begin tonight, is happening ahead of schedule.
After a fire on June 11 caused the roadway to collapse, Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll led a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way to get traffic flowing on I-95 again. A temporary roadway with six lanes of traffic opened on June 23, only 12 days after the initial fire and collapse.
“Today serves as another example to all that Pennsylvania can do big things,” said Secretary Carroll. “Thanks to the dedication of the workers and continued coordination between the Shapiro Administration, our federal partners and the City of Philadelphia, traffic continues to flow freely on I-95 and we are one step closer to restoring I-95 to its full capacity.”
Motorists are advised of the following travel restrictions:
Crews each night will move and reset temporary construction barriers and repaint lane markings prior to shifting three lanes of northbound (Monday night) vehicles and three lanes of southbound (Wednesday night) onto the outer sections of the new span.
“The Federal Highway Administration is proud to join PennDOT and our state, local and private sector partners in Pennsylvania today to celebrate this important milestone marking the completion of the first stage of permanent repairs to I-95,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “We know that the I-95 corridor is a critical connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and that’s why this work stands as a testament to what we can accomplish together with a whole of government approach to restore this vital link that is critical to our nation.”
Following the traffic shifts, the temporary roadway will be removed, and work will begin to build the permanent structure in its place and open the Cottman Avenue off-ramp. The recycled glass aggregate currently being used in the temporary roadway will be reused in other projects along the I-95 corridor, including the I-95 Cap project at Penn’s Landing.
The entire new structure, plus reconstruction of the lower portion of the Cottman Avenue off-ramp, is expected to be completed and the northbound interchange reopened in 2024.
For more information on the permanent reconstruction project, visit PennDOT’s I-95 Cottman Avenue Updates page.
