Additional detours, closures put in place by Philadelphia Police in wake of I-95 collapse

A tanker truck fire closed seven miles of I-95 in both directions indefinitely Sunday after an elevated portion of the heavily traveled interstate collapsed in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, raising concerns about travel headaches across the Northeast corridor.

At a press conference Sunday evening near the collapse site, SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards did not sugar-coat expectations for commuters and employers starting Monday.

"It's going to take longer than normal to get to work," she said.

Trevose resident Nicole Direso got a taste on Sunday afternoon, when she was caught in the traffic returning from the Jersey shore.

"Taking (Route) 73 to the New Jersey Turnpike to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, ugh. Turns an hour-and-a-half trip into two hours; not to mention the stop and go on 73," she said. "I'm not the most patient person when it comes to traffic and today was like a living hell for me driving home."

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More: Driving or taking SEPTA from Philly? What Bucks County commuters can expect heading home

The fire that remains under investigation caused a partial collapse of a portion of the highway north on the Route 73/Cottman Avenue ramp and compromised the southbound lanes leading into Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.

The highway remained closed in both directions Sunday night from the Allegheny and Castor avenue exits to Academy Road and Linden Avenue exits, just outside Bensalem. There was no timetable announced for its reopening.

The highway repairs are anticipated to take months Gov. Josh Shapiro said, adding that his office will have a better timeline after PennDOT and its engineers finish their structural review.

"It is a remarkably devastating sight," the governor added

On Monday, Shapiro said he plans to issue a disaster declaration so the state and city can drawdown federal funds to begin the reconstruction.

Federal authorities including Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have assured him that there will be "absolutely no delay" in approving the declaration and accessing federal assistance with rebuilding this "critical" transportation artery, Shapiro said Sunday.

Detour routes

As of midday Monday, Philadelphia Police are setting up the following closures and detours in place in area of the Cottman Avenue exit of I-95.

Expect delays along the detour and note these are subject to change.

• 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 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.

• Southbound I-95 detour

  • Exit I-95 southbound at Cottman Avenue.

  • At the end of the ramp, right on Bleigh Street.

  • Follow Bleigh to State Road, 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

  • 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 Tacony-Palmyra Bridge loop to New State Road. Continue northbound.

  • Travel New State Road to Milnor Street and re-enter I-95 northbound.

On Sunday, Shapiro said that his administration is working on alternative routes around the impacted area and interim solutions on both sides of the highway to get it reopened while repairs are taking place. So far, PennDOT had released only two alternate routes for getting around the I-95 collapse.

• I-95 south: Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 south to I-76 east, then get on Route 676 east and merge into I-95 south.

• I-95 north: I-676 west to I-76 west, take Exit 304B for U.S. 1 north to Route 63 east (Woodhaven Road) and head east, which goes around I-95 north of the collapse.

Interstate 95 is the main north-south highway on the East Coast and stretches from Florida through Maine to Canada. An average of roughly 160,000 vehicles a day travel through the area of the overpass collapse, according to PennDOT.

The highway is a popular route for Philadelphia area residents who work and vacation in Delaware and New Jersey. By Sunday afternoon, motorists were reporting backups on the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey.

Alternatives such as Route 130 or Interstate 295 are also popular routes for Jersey shore visitors and the Route 1 Superhighway, the other popular route into Philadelphia, is currently undergoing multiple construction projects.

Guidance for commuters and visitors

Travelers are being encouraged to use public transportation for now, and SEPTA operations personnel have put in place a service plan to support immediate transportation needs over the next 24-to-48 hours, Richards said. While higher volume is anticipated, she added that SEPTA ridership has remained below pre-COVID pandemic rates.

Starting on Monday:

• SEPTA is adding cars to increase capacity during peak service times on the Trenton and West Trenton Regional Rail Lines in Bucks County, and the Fox Chase line. Three extra Trenton Line trains will run at 6:40 a.m., and 8:03 a.m. from Trenton along with 8:25 a.m. from Holmesburg Junction stop. In the evenings three additional trains will run at 3:05 p.m. from Suburban Station to Holmesburg Junction, along with 4:30 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. to Trenton.

• Parking continues to be free at Regional Rail Stations, the Frankford Transportation Center and Philadelphia Parking Authority parking lots near SEPTA stations will also be free.

• The Market-Frankford Elevated Train line will operate every six minutes during peak travel hours.

• SEPTA will be repositioning its police and maintenance personnel and deploy ambassadors out on the system to assist customers with travel.

• The SEPTA Customer Service Call Center will open at 6 a.m. Monday. Representatives can be reached by phone at (215) 580-7800.

• Buses along Routes 70, 78 and 84 will be detoured until further notice. For more information on those detours, go to septa.org/realtime/status.

The transit agency is also evaluating options for a longer-term service plan needed for the upcoming repairs, Richards said.

More: Interstate 95: What we know about the collapse, the cleanup and the impact

More: Watch: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro discusses the I-95 bridge collapse

Stay informed

Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday his office has set up a new website where updates will be posted including alternate travel routes. Philadelphia has also created an update page on its blog.

Residents can also keep up to date on the situation. Here are places you can learn more about what’s going on: Follow the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Twitter.

Suburban commuter worries

On Sunday Direso was trying to figure out an alternative route to Lincoln Financial Field, where she has tickets to the Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert on Friday. The tickets were a gift, she said, otherwise she would sell them.

She is planning to sell the rest of her Phillies season tickets.

"I can't deal with this," Direso said.

Northampton resident Bonnie Emilius takes the West Trenton train into Center City for work, which gets her in and out of city in 40 minutes on the train.

"It has been a dream. It has been on time. Everybody has a seat. It's been great," she said. "I immediately became concerned that people will come back and I won't be able to find parking at the station."

She also worries more people means she'll see a return to the pre-COVID commute times of a little over an hour.

Newtown Township resident Maureen Gross was hoping that her Camden New Jersey employer will allow her to work from home instead of come into the office three times a week. Otherwise, she is anticipating a long, grueling summer.

"It's going to drastically change my commute, on top of a not-so-great commute to begin with," she said.

Gross said she likely would either take I-295 into New Jersey or the Burlington Bristol Bridge, then shoot down Route 130, but either way it's going to add at least a half-hour to her travel time, she said.

This won't be the first time that an I-95 disaster has impacted her work commute.

In 1996 she was commuting to work in Delaware when a tire fire in Port Richmond resulted in severe structural damage to a portion of I-95, leading to a temporary closure, followed by lane limits that lasted for months during reconstruction.

The Great Tire Fire of 1996

It was March 13, 1996, when at least 10,000 tires illegally stored were set on fire in a 500-square-foot lot near a Port Richmond garage resulting in a fire that spread to the nearby Philadelphia Tire Disposal Co. and burned for five hours.

The eight-alarm fire substantially weakened 1 mile of the overpass, and PennDOT had to order scaffolding to support the highway. The highway was closed for eight days, and when it reopened, it was only at half capacity.

Authorities learned a stockpile of tires that Bucks County ordered relocated from Quakertown was illegally stockpiled near the dump site.

Seven teens were charged with the arson, but the dump's owner, Chalfont resident Daniel J. Carr, a used tire dealer, received the stiffest penalty.

Carr, who ran Tire Technology in Richland Township and operates an auto service shop in Quakertown, was found guilty of risking a catastrophe, criminal conspiracy and illegal dumping. He was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay the city $3 million in restitution.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Why the I-95 collapse will mean tough commuting for workers, travelers