A portion of Philadelphia's Interstate 95 northbound collapsed on Sunday morning after a fuel truck caught fire under a highway, but repairs could take months, and commuters in the area could disrupt major East Coast highways, Pennsylvania officials said.
Commercial tank trucks that transported petroleum-based products are still under the collapsed highway, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
...Authorities are working to identify everyone involved in the fire and collapse that broke out around 6:20 a.m., the governor said. Officials said no one was injured.
It will likely take "months" to restore the highway, Shapiro said. He said his office was "considering alternatives to connecting the roads via detours" and was working with federal partners on the matter.
The destroyed section of the highway is "probably the busiest highway in the federal state," carrying about 160,000 vehicles each day, according to Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll.
The fire is now under control, according to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny. "We advise residents to avoid the area and plan alternative travel routes," he said at a press conference. "In addition to road closures, we expect delays on garbage collection and SEPTA bus routes in the area," he said, referring to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which operates buses in Philadelphia.
The governor described witnessing “remarkable devastation” during a flyover of the scene.
“I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on I-95 were injured or died,” he said, adding it was a “devastating site – one that our first responders, law enforcement and others contained very, very quickly.”The cause of and circumstances surrounding the fire remain under investigation, according to officials.
Earlier on Sunday, Derek Bowmer, battalion chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department, said, “It looked like we had a lot of heat and heavy fire underneath the underpass.”Explosions around the highway collapse were caused by “runoff of maybe some fuel or gas lines that could have been compromised by the accident,” said Bowmer. “We have fire coming out of those manholes.”
Photos and videos from the scene showed huge plumes of smoke billowing from the interstate, which runs north to south from the Canadian border in Maine to Miami, Florida.
While the exact cost of repairing the crucial roadway remains unclear, the governor told reporters Sunday afternoon that US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg “made it clear that whatever resources needed to rebuild I-95, in a safe and expeditious manner, will be provided” to the state.While the collapse has not affected the city`s drinking water quality, according to a tweet from Philadelphia Water Department, the US Coast Guard is looking out for possible water pollution.
“An 80m long boat from the Philadelphia station was brought to the accident site to observe pollution in the waterway. There appears to be," a Coast Guard statement said. "The material is gasoline, and 8,500 gallons may be spilled from the tanker. Anyway, it's
source(CNN)
Commercial tank trucks that transported petroleum-based products are still under the collapsed highway, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
...Authorities are working to identify everyone involved in the fire and collapse that broke out around 6:20 a.m., the governor said. Officials said no one was injured.
It will likely take "months" to restore the highway, Shapiro said. He said his office was "considering alternatives to connecting the roads via detours" and was working with federal partners on the matter.
The destroyed section of the highway is "probably the busiest highway in the federal state," carrying about 160,000 vehicles each day, according to Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll.
The fire is now under control, according to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny. "We advise residents to avoid the area and plan alternative travel routes," he said at a press conference. "In addition to road closures, we expect delays on garbage collection and SEPTA bus routes in the area," he said, referring to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which operates buses in Philadelphia.
The governor described witnessing “remarkable devastation” during a flyover of the scene.
“I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on I-95 were injured or died,” he said, adding it was a “devastating site – one that our first responders, law enforcement and others contained very, very quickly.”The cause of and circumstances surrounding the fire remain under investigation, according to officials.
Earlier on Sunday, Derek Bowmer, battalion chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department, said, “It looked like we had a lot of heat and heavy fire underneath the underpass.”Explosions around the highway collapse were caused by “runoff of maybe some fuel or gas lines that could have been compromised by the accident,” said Bowmer. “We have fire coming out of those manholes.”
Photos and videos from the scene showed huge plumes of smoke billowing from the interstate, which runs north to south from the Canadian border in Maine to Miami, Florida.
While the exact cost of repairing the crucial roadway remains unclear, the governor told reporters Sunday afternoon that US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg “made it clear that whatever resources needed to rebuild I-95, in a safe and expeditious manner, will be provided” to the state.While the collapse has not affected the city`s drinking water quality, according to a tweet from Philadelphia Water Department, the US Coast Guard is looking out for possible water pollution.
“An 80m long boat from the Philadelphia station was brought to the accident site to observe pollution in the waterway. There appears to be," a Coast Guard statement said. "The material is gasoline, and 8,500 gallons may be spilled from the tanker. Anyway, it's
source(CNN)
Tags:
USA News