At least one vehicle remained trapped under tons of rubble from the collapsed stretch of I-95 in Philadelphia on Sunday — as officials warned it will take “some number of months” to rebuild the destroyed overpass.
Authorities said there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities in the tanker explosion that toppled the overhead section of the vital interstate highway but added that the situation “remains fluid.”
“At least one vehicle is still trapped underneath the collapsed roadway,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said during an afternoon briefing at the scene. “We’re still working to identify any individual or individuals who may have been caught in the fire and the collapse.”
A tractor-trailer carrying “a petroleum-based product” caused the explosion that ended up collapsing the overpass at 6:20 a.m. Sunday.
Shapiro said the northbound lanes on the highway collapsed entirely, while the southbound lanes remain unstable.
“With regards to the complete rebuild of [the] I-95 roadway, we expect that to take some number of months,” he said. “We expect it to take that time, and we will have that specific timeline set forth once the engineers in Penn DOT have completed their review.
“To expedite this process and to cut through the red tape, tomorrow morning I plan to issue a disaster declaration allowing the commonwealth to immediately draw down federal funds and move quickly to repair and reconstruct this roadway,” Shapiro said.
He said he spoke directly to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the calamity.
Everything you need to know about the Philadelphia I-95 overpass collapse
A heavily traveled section of I-95 collapsed in Philadelphia on Sunday after a tanker truck burst into flames underneath it, police said.
The collapse occurred after a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gas to a local Wawa failed to make a turn and flipped on its side, triggering a massive fire, officials said Monday.
The highway catastrophe led to all lanes of the interstate being shut down between the exits of Woodhaven Road in northeast Philadelphia and Aramingo Avenue in the Port Richmond neighborhood.
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Philadelphia Fire Department Captain Derrick Bowmer said the burning truck also led to explosions underground, with flames coming out of manholes that were blown off.
Human remains were recovered from the rubble on Monday, and officials have yet to announce the identity of the victim.
“Secretary Buttiegieg has assured me that there will be absolutely no delay in getting federal funds deployed to quickly help us build this critical artery,” Shapiro said.
Meanwhile, state transportation officials were scrambling to set up alternate routes and public transportation to help commuters bypass the ruptured roadway.
Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said a contractor was hired on the spot and had equipment at the scene “within hours” of the blast to clear debris and begin the repair effort.
“We will continue that effort over the next 24 hours, through the night, to make sure that we have the collapsed section removed as speedily as possible and then advance efforts with respect to the replacement and repair going forward,” Carroll told reporters.
“It is our goal to be as quick in our response and our remediation of the challenges as we can,” he said. “The challenges will be real when it comes to traffic movement in the city as a result of this incident.
“But working with our partners in the Philadelphia Police Department and others, I’m confident that we will get past this,” Carroll added.
