I-95 bridge repairs delayed by weather, expected to be complete this weekend
The owner of the truck that struck the railroad bridge has been identified as B. Blair of Ivyland in Bucks County.
State transportation and rail officials say they expect completion this weekend of repair work on the damaged bridge that has forced a closure of the northbound lanes of I-95 in Port Richmond.
Meanwhile, the owner of the tractor-trailer that struck the Conrail bridge at 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon has been identified as B. Blair Corp, of Bucks County, which handles nationwide heavy and specialized equipment hauling, according to two sources with knowledge of the police investigation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the case publicly.
Blair, based in Ivyland, has a portfolio that includes recent work at the site of a $329 million park capping over I-95 near Penn’s Landing just south of the crash site, according to images shared by the company on its social media accounts.
Representatives for Blair did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The crash, which has shut the interstate for days, has triggered finger-pointing among different agencies involved with moving oversized cargo across a major urban highway — and now Blair.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had approved a route plan and other advance paperwork clearing the vehicle to pass under the bridge. The Philadelphia police were escorting the Blair truck before its cargo struck the rail bridge.
On Wednesday, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said city police had carried out their role, and alluded to possible “discrepancies” in PennDot’s route plan. The state transportation agency quickly countered that it was Blair’s responsibility to check clearances on the bridge.
Few other details have been released, as Philadelphia police crash investigators examine why the crash occurred.
As of Thursday afternoon, bridge components damaged in the crash had been removed, and bridge owner Conrail’s contractor was working on replacing those pieces with new materials, a PennDot spokesperson said. And as a result of the rainy weather that the region has experienced this week, repair work has faced some setbacks.
“Although the work was delayed due to inclement weather, Conrail remains optimistic that the contractor will complete the job expeditiously this weekend,” PennDot safety press officer Krys Johnson said.
Conrail did not immediately respond to request for comment. However, earlier this week, a representative from the company said that Conrail aimed to have the bridge repaired roughly 72 hours after the collision Monday, which would have made Thursday the day for completing the fixes had that timeline worked out.
PennDot previously said that it was “optimistic” that repairs would be completed by the weekend. It was not immediately clear how much time there would need to be between repairs being completed and the highway being reopened.
The crash marked the second bridge strike in nine months along the stretch of I-95 that runs through Philadelphia. In June, a gasoline tanker truck crashed under the interstate at Cottman Avenue, resulting in a blaze that closed the highway for two weeks before workers installed a temporary bridge.
A permanent bridge is scheduled to be constructed there this year.
Brian Blair started the Bucks County transport company in 1999, hauling heavy loads with a 12-year-old truck, according to the company website. The corporation now owns 40 trucks and 100 pieces of equipment, and among its contracts is the rebuild of Penn’s Landing. Blair did not respond to a text message asking about the company’s role in the crash.
Federal Department of Transportation records show the carrier company had been involved in at least two reported crashes involving injuries over the last two years.
Staff writer Barbara Laker contributed to this article.
An earlier version of this article erred in stating the PennDot was also escorting the truck along the interstate.