Temporary lanes of I-95 in Philadelphia to reopen Friday, PennDOT says

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says the temporary lanes of I-95 will reopen Friday.

Crews have been working around the clock since the portion of the interstate collapsed on June 11.

According to Governor Josh Shapiro’s office, six lanes of traffic will reopen to motorists at 12 p.m. A new conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. prior to the reopening.

On Thursday, a group from the Pocono Raceway in Monroe County made its way to the soon-to-reopened section of I-95 in Tacony and brought their jet dryer with them.

A white and black Camaro pace car led the way for the red Chevy pickup truck with a jet engine on the back, typically used to dry the racetrack after it rains.

“It is a jet engine that is going to blow about 1,400F with about 3,000 pounds of force,” said Ricky Durst of Pocono Raceway.

Earlier this week, Gov. Shapiro said the portion of I-95 that collapsed would be reopened by the weekend due to the hard work of the crews on site and the cooperation of local, state, and federal officials.

“To rebuild I-95 on time, we need 12 hours of dry weather to complete the paving and striping process. With rain in the forecast, we reached out to Pocono Raceway for help – and they’re bringing their jet dryer to Philly to help dry this section of I-95 and keep us on schedule,” Shapiro tweeted.

On Wednesday, Chopper 6 was over the scene as crews installed walls for the temporary lanes. Paving was underway through the night.

Paving continued Thursday, followed by signage being posted saying that this portion of I-95 will be three lanes instead of four.

“We’re going to have a 45 mph speed limit. We will have three 11-foot lanes but there will be no shoulders in that area,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Michael Carroll.

A replacement bridge will be built next to the temporary road to reroute traffic while crews excavate the fill to restore the exit ramp.

After traffic is moving this weekend, a new timeline will begin for the permanent structure.

The estimated cost for this project is between $25 million and $30 million, with the federal government pledging to cover a majority, if not all, of the cost.