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I-95 Collapse in Philadelphia Sends Commuters Searching for Alternatives After I-95 Collapse in Philadelphia, Authorities Find a Body Amid Wreckage
(about 4 hours later)
A day after an elevated portion of Interstate 95 collapsed in northeast Philadelphia, buckling after a tanker truck caught fire, the weekday rush hour began Monday with dread and preparation. There were predictable snags, hinting at the summer of disruption and discontent that lies ahead: Commuter trains were delayed, highway on- and offramps were clogged, neighborhood streets around the area were a mess and commute times were growing. Authorities on Monday said that a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia burned and collapsed after a truck driver trying to navigate a curve lost control of a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline, which fell on its side and ruptured.
“It’s looking like more than an hour on a typical 40-minute commute,” said John Heinrich, an electrician in northeast Philadelphia, who usually takes I-95 to get to his job site across the city. The resulting fire brought down one portion of the highway and damaged another so badly that it will be demolished this week, officials said, sending traffic disruptions spiraling across the region.
Yet some found the drive into work Monday morning to be less of a traffic nightmare than they feared, with only moderate delays, or in some cases no delay at all. The Pennsylvania State Police announced on Monday afternoon that a body had been found in the debris, but that authorities were still in the process of identifying the remains.
Some people may have opted to work from home, or came up with well-executed backup plans. Or perhaps the official response — adding extra cars to commuter trains, arranging detours, offering free parking at some mass transit lots — turned out to be relatively effective. Family members of Nathan Moody, a 53-year-old truck driver who lived in New Jersey and delivered fuel to gas stations in the area, said the police had contacted them, seeking dental records.
“We all have very little faith in our city officials, because we pay a lot of taxes and they don’t tend to do very much,” said Sara Goldrick-Rab, 46, who lives a few minutes away from where the collapse took place. “But in this case, at least so far, it looks like they are mobilizing very fast.” Isaac Moody, a cousin, said the family had begun to fear the worst when they did not hear from him after the accident on Sunday. “When I didn’t get a call back I told everybody, ‘Look, something is wrong,’” he said.
The accident affecting I-95, which runs the length of the East Coast from Maine to Miami, left a section of the northbound side of the highway in a heap of ruins and damaged a southbound section so badly that it will be demolished this week. This stretch of the highway, in northeastern Philadelphia near the Delaware River, is used by about 160,000 vehicles a day, officials said. But much of the interstate traffic traveling through the region already bypasses Philadelphia using the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs roughly parallel to I-95 east of the river and becomes I-95 farther north, on the way to New York City. While workers cleared the rubble and officials advised patience, the morning hinted at the summer of discontent that lies ahead: Some commuter trains were delayed, highway on- and offramps were clogged, neighborhood streets around the area were sluggish and commute times were growing.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said in a news conference on Sunday that he expected it to take months for the damaged section of the interstate to be repaired. He issued a “proclamation of disaster emergency” on Monday, making $7 million in state funds available immediately and making it easier to draw on federal funds. “It’s a mess, man,” said Alex Tyndale, who runs a delivery company in Philadelphia.
Federal, state and local officials are looking into the cause of the fire and the collapse of the elevated highway section, . A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police said that a body had been recovered from the wreckage and has been turned over to the medical examiner. Authorities were in the process of identifying the remains. Still, some found the drive to work Monday morning to be less awful than they had feared, with only moderate delays or in some cases no delay at all.
In public remarks at an engineering conference on Monday, Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary, pledged his agency’s full support for restoration efforts, saying that the accident will mean “extensive disruption for the movement of people and goods through that region.” Many people may have opted to work from home on Monday. And some suggested that the response of officials — adding extra cars to commuter trains, arranging detours, offering free parking at some mass transit lots — helped.
“We all have very little faith in our city officials, because we pay a lot of taxes and they don’t tend to do very much,” said Sara Goldrick-Rab, 46, who lives a few minutes from the collapse. “But in this case, at least so far, it looks like they are mobilizing very fast.”
The accident on I-95, which runs the length of the East Coast from Maine to South Florida, left a section of the northbound side of the highway in a heap of ruins and heavily damaged a southbound section.
This stretch of the highway, in northeast Philadelphia near the Delaware River, is used by about 160,000 vehicles a day, officials said. But much of the interstate traffic traveling through the region already bypasses Philadelphia using the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs roughly parallel to I-95 east of the river and becomes I-95 farther north, on the way to New York City.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said in a news conference on Sunday that he expected repairing the damaged section of the interstate to take months. He issued a “proclamation of disaster emergency” on Monday, making $7 million in state funds immediately available and making it easier to draw on federal funds.
A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Philadelphia on Sunday and were expected to issue a preliminary report in two to three weeks, a spokesman said.
Across Philadelphia and its suburbs, Monday was full of strategizing, testing the detours suggested by officials and heeding the wisdom of local traffic reporters, who spent the morning breaking down different approaches to downtown like football coaches before the big game.Across Philadelphia and its suburbs, Monday was full of strategizing, testing the detours suggested by officials and heeding the wisdom of local traffic reporters, who spent the morning breaking down different approaches to downtown like football coaches before the big game.
“One of the problems with this stretch of 95 is there really are not great, perfect alternates,” said Matt Pellam, the traffic reporter on the morning broadcast of the local ABC television affiliate. “Over the next few days, I think people are going to try out different options to see which is least awful.” For some, particularly truck drivers, the situation was turning out to be precisely the nightmare that many had feared.
Commuters were learning what may be in store for the next few months. “We are absolutely going to suffer from this,” said Rick Slowicki, the president of Nonstop Couriers, a delivery company based in Philadelphia. The drivers for Mr. Slowicki’s company had already been experiencing delays on Monday, he said, and he was bracing for higher costs, longer journeys and more wear and tear on his vehicles. “Half of our deliveries go up and down 95.”
Some found that the frenzy of preparation had apparently paid off, with commutes that were, against all expectation, easier than usual. Many found that all of the detours, early departures and other preparations had apparently paid off, with commutes that were even easier than usual.
“I don’t know when was the last time I got out of my neighborhood that quick on a Monday,” said John Gramlich, a plumber, who has a daily commute of about three to four miles. “There was less traffic than I’m used to having.” Tom Maroon, who runs a nonprofit, said that traffic was flowing more quickly than usual as he was driving to work on an undamaged stretch of I-95.
Tom Maroon, who runs a nonprofit and takes I-95 northbound in the mornings, had the same experience. “The main roads in the neighborhoods seemed to have more volume, especially trucks,” he said. But while he was driving north on undamaged parts of I-95, he said by phone from his car, traffic was flowing more quickly than usual. After he arrived at his office, though, Mr. Maroon found that many on his staff had not been as lucky. “One guy said his bus went one block in 12 minutes,” he said in a text message.
After he arrived at his office, though, Mr. Maroon found that many people on his staff had not been so lucky. “One guy said his bus went one block in 12 minutes,” he said in a text message. For the family of Nathan Moody, time seemed to stand completely still.
“We understand what’s happening, but it’s hard to accept,” his cousin, Isaac Moody, said.
Nate Moody had been happy at his job in recent years, Isaac said, after buying his own truck and abandoning long-haul routes so he could spend more time with his 7-year-old daughter. He had passed the exam allowing him to transport hazardous materials, and his truck was up-to-date on inspections, his cousin said. He was planning to take his little girl on a vacation in California this summer.
Anna Betts contributed reporting.Anna Betts contributed reporting.