Interstate Highway 95, the main roadway between the East Coast’s two largest cities, New York City and Philadelphia, will be closed for months after a tanker fire caused a section to collapse, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday.
An elevated section of northbound lanes in northeast Philadelphia collapsed, with the tanker truck and whoever was inside, trapped beneath 500 tons of concrete, steel and rubble, about 6:20 a.m., the governor said at a news conference.
Shapiro called the scene “a remarkably devastating site.”
Corresponding elevated southbound lanes were found to lack structural integrity, prompting closure of the entire freeway, the governor said.
No deaths or injuries were reported, but first responders had yet to get to the tanker truck or any possible occupants, officials said. The fire was still smoldering but otherwise under control, they said.
A disaster declaration will be made Monday, he said, allowing the state to quickly tap federal funds and start rebuilding the roadway.
“We expect that to take a number of months,” the governor said of completion.
Officials urged Philadelphians to avoid the area and plan on alternate routes for Monday’s morning commute as they worked out a plan for temporary detours and added public transportation options.
“I-95, of course, is a critical roadway,” the governor said. “It supports our economy and plays an important role in folks’ everyday lives.”
State Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll said the segment of freeway carries roughly 160,000 vehicles a day and is most likely the busiest interstate in Pennsylvania.
The Eastern Transportation Coalition, a partnership between 17 states, says the roadway and its associated corridor, which reaches from nearly the tip of Florida to the Canadian border, carries nearly $200 billion in goods and services related to ports along the route.
Shapiro said the tanker was carrying some kind of petroleum product.
There were 8,500 gallons of product in the tanker, according to a spokesperson with the U.S. Coast Guard. The military branch sent a boat to the scene to examine the impact on the water, but it seems no gasoline has made it to the Delaware River.
There was some “sheening,” an iridescent appearance on the surface of the water, but it appeared confined to a nearby cove, the spokesperson said.
All lanes of the highway are shut down for a roughly 10 mile stretch between between Academy Avenue (exit 32) to the north and the Betsy Ross Bridge (exit 26) to the south, state transportation officials said.
“The roadway is gone,” unnamed officials told NBC Philadelphia.
Runoff from fuel or gas lines from the burning truck has also caused explosions underground, Philadelphia Fire Department Capt. Derrick Bowmer told reporters.
“We will be here for a while,” he said. “We have fire coming out of those manholes.”
A video posted on social media early Sunday captured by a driver appeared to show plumes of black smoke rising above the highway.
Bowmer said that officials received a call about an accident at 6:22 a.m., but it was not immediately clear if there were any injuries.
In a tweet, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney told locals to avoid the area and plan for alternate travel routes, and thanked first responders for their work.
Shapiro said in a tweet he has been briefed by officials and that first responders and transportation officials were on the scene. Shapiro added that he and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis were “closely coordinating” with officials in the state, throughout New Jersey and in the federal government.
“For now, please avoid the area and follow the direction of the first responders on the scene,” Shapiro wrote.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the collapse and has been in touch with Shapiro and the Philadelphia mayor’s office, according to a tweet from the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted he was “closely monitoring” the situation and coordinating with officials on the response.
“I’ve been in touch with [the Federal Highway Administration] and spoke with Gov. Shapiro to offer any assistance that USDOT can provide to help with recovery and reconstruction,” he tweeted.
The National Transportation Safety Board was also monitoring the situation and gathering information.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Agency directed questions to local officials.
A spokesperson for the state police told NBC News in a statement that the agency is working with Philadelphia police to control and re-route traffic.
Jay Blackman, Austin Mullen and Doha Madani contributed.
