Debris falls from I-95 into South Philly, closes two highway lanes for repair

A metal cover plate came loose from the southbound Interstate 95 roadway Wednesday morning and caused some concrete to fall from the overpass into the streets of South Philadelphia, drawing worried looks from passersby.

Police cordoned an area near Dickinson and South Front Streets around what appeared to be small chunks of debris.

Two lanes remained closed to traffic through Wednesday afternoon as maintenance crews identified the damaged roadway and worked to “cold patch” the gap where the cover plate came off, said PennDOT spokesperson Brad Rudolph. All four lanes reopened by 3 p.m., he said, but will close again overnight for further repairs over the next three nights.

It was not clear how the plate came loose.

“We are investigating how this might have happened,” Rudolph said in an email. “This is not routine and we are taking this incident very seriously due to the safety concerns it poses.”

I-95 remains safe for travel and officials are primarily concerned about hazards posed by falling debris for pedestrians below, he added.

Nonetheless, the incident comes amid flaring anxieties about I-95 following the historic collapse of the highway following a tanker fire in Northeast Philadelphia last month. Flying debris also killed a motorist nearby last month after “a large piece of metal” pierced the driver side-window of an SUV traveling on I-95 near the Walt Whitman Bridge.

PennDOT said closures will continue nightly through the weekend from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. as contractors work on permanent repairs. All travel lanes will remain open on I-95 South when repairs aren’t being done.