Collapsed Stretch Of Interstate 95 In Philadelphia To Reopen

A section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia is set to reopen less than two weeks after a truck fire caused the roadway to collapse. Construction crews have been working around the clock to clean up the debris and get the temporary six-lane roadway open ahead of schedule.

The highly-trafficked elevated section of the highway collapsed on June 11 after a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline overturned underneath the bridge and caught on fire. The driver was killed in the fire.

Construction crews spent about four days removing the debris and inspecting the roadway. It took them about eight days to build the temporary roadway.

While rain threatened to delay the construction, officials borrowed a NASCAR jet dryer from the Pocono Raceway to dry the road.

"It's a jet engine. It's going to blow out about 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. It has about 3,000 pounds of force," Ricky Durst, the Senior Director of Marketing & Analytics for Pocono Raceway, said. "As [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll] said, it's buckled into a Chevy Silverado. So, it's a little bit of a Frankenstein thing, but it's also pretty specialized, and it's used throughout the NASCAR industry to keep things dry and keep things safe."

Officials said that the lanes have been repainted to go from four down to three about a mile before the temporary roadway, which will have a speed limit of 45 mph.

Authorities have not said how long it will take to rebuild the bridge and get the highway back up to eight lanes.