Temporary I-95 lanes will reopen this weekend, Gov. Shapiro says

Interstate 95 will open to traffic this weekend on six lanes of temporary pavement resting on a bed of gravel-like glass aggregate, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced in front of the construction site Tuesday — a full week earlier than he had anticipated.

”We haven’t always had a can-do attitude around here, that we can get big things done, that we can get it done quickly and safely,” Shapiro said. “I’m a governor who believes we can get things done again. We’re going to change that attitude of people being surprised to folks expecting excellence from us.”

The progress report came nine days after the elevated northbound lanes of I-95 near Cottman Avenue collapsed when an 8,500-gallon tanker truck carrying gasoline exploded while negotiating an exit ramp beneath the overpass, triggering a fire that weakened steel support girders.

As Shapiro spoke, cranes were lifting 13,000-pound outer barriers into place along what will be the new roadway.

The temporary reconstruction of the east side of the highway was expected to be completed Tuesday night, Shapiro said. Work on the west side would begin Wednesday. Throughout the week, crews will pave three new lanes in each direction, followed by painting and striping. State police vehicles would continue to escort trucks carrying materials to speed them to the construction site, he said.

Shapiro sounded triumphant as he announced the updated timetable.

He was generous with praise, thanking the construction workers who have tackled the rebuilding project nonstop as growing audiences watch the action on a 24/7 live stream of the site.

“I have to confess, I’m completely addicted to the live stream,” Shaprio said, checking it before turning in for the night and first thing in the morning.

Questions remain about the timeline for the permanent new bridge to be finished, but the temporary roadway will allow some breathing room and provide relief to people inconvenienced by the gap in I-95, the major north-south route on the East Coast.

The temporary fix will allow three lanes of traffic in each direction to move through Northeast Philadelphia, but the exits near the collapse site will remain closed.

Crews worked throughout the weekend to clear out the area at the damaged section of the Cottman Avenue exit ramp and fill it with a lightweight, gravel-like material made with recycled glass. The material has been used to backfill several other Philadelphia-area projects, including an overnight parking apron for airplanes at Philadelphia International Airport.

Mike Carroll, the state’s transportation secretary, emphasized the safety of the glass aggregate. The material has been used for seven or eight years on roadways in Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, and Virginia, and is capable of supporting the weight of even the biggest trucks.

”I have 100% confidence in its ability to withstand the traffic,” he said. “It’s safe, it’s sound, it’s ready to go to work.”

The material, made by Aero Aggregates of North America, in Eddystone, is lighter than most construction fill. Officials and engineers said that would also help keep the the temporary bridge from damaging the relatively delicate clay pipes underneath the Tacony soil as it settles.

With I-95 partially reopened, crews will rebuild the outer sections of the bridge. One that construction is completed, traffic will be rerouted so construction of the inner sections of the bridge can be completed. Ultimately, there will again be four lanes of traffic in each direction.

Federal Highway Administration officials have estimated that building a permanent fix would cost $25 million to $30 million. Shapiro confirmed that estimate but said the full cost won’t be clear for some time. He also did not offer a timeline for that work. The reconstruction will require the destroyed bridge section of the highway to be rebuilt from the outside in, Shapiro said.

”We will give an update on the timeline of a permanent fix after the temporary fix is done,” he said.

Engineers are taking core samples from the concrete abutments of the bridge and conducting other tests to see how usable they are, officials said. The northern abutment, which the truck hit, will require substantial repair and possibly replacement, Din Abazi, chief bridge engineer for PennDot District 6, said in an interview with The Inquirer.

Once the abutments are set, contractors will bring in 16 steel girders, welded off-site, Abazi said. On top of the girders, they will place the decking, made of concrete reinforced with steel rebar, he said. The decking is about 9 inches thick, he said.

The federal government is expected to fully reimburse the costs of the repairs, the governor said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the city’s Commerce Department is looking into ways to support businesses that have lost customers or otherwise been financially hurt as a result of the damage. Some may be eligible for federal assistance and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is documenting business losses for that possibility, Shapiro said.

After the news conference, Shapiro went down to the site and then talked with construction workers in their hard hats and yellow vests, as well as state lawmakers and PennDot officials. Before he left, the governor wrote “Buckley is the best!” on a man’s safety vest — a shout-out to the lead contractor — and signed his name underneath.

Staff writers Tom Avril and Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.