April 07, 2024
Daniella Heminghaus/Bucks County Courier Times; USA TODAY NETWORK
PennDOT reopened I-95 North in Port Richmond at 4 p.m. Saturday – five days after a tractor-trailer with an oversized load hit a railroad bridge that passes over the highway. The photo above shows construction workers on I-95 North during the closure.
The shuttered section of Interstate 95 North in Port Richmond reopened late Saturday afternoon – five days after a tractor-trailer carrying an oversized load struck a railroad bridge that passes over the highway.
Conrail crews concluded several days of repair work, allowing PennDOT to reopen the portion of I-95 North near the Betsy Ross Bridge and Aramingo Avenue interchange at 4 p.m. The on-ramp from Castor Avenue also reopened.
The closure to one of the busiest roads in Philadelphia caused traffic delays throughout the week. Northbound traffic was detoured off the highway and along Aramingo and Adams avenues while repairs were completed.
The tractor-trailer's load hit the Conrail bridge at 1:10 p.m. Monday. Traffic was reduced to a single lane until 10 p.m., when repair work began and prompted a full closure. PennDOT had hoped to have I-95 reopened by the weekend, but repairs were delayed Thursday by inclement weather.
The crash is being investigated by Philadelphia police. The truck was driven by a 37-year-old man, police said. No one was injured.
This was the second crash in the last year to prompt a significant road closure on I-95 in Philadelphia. Last June, a tanker truck fire beneath I-95 in Northeast Philly melted the highway's steel support beams, causing the northbound section of the overpass to collapse. The interstate reopened less than two weeks later after construction crews built a temporary structure that allowed traffic to pass while a permanent structure was constructed. The first lanes of the permanent structure opened in November.
