After months of travel restrictions, detours, and construction after a fire damaged the road near Cottman Avenue in both directions, all lanes of the I-95 are expected to fully reopen this week.
In order to make this process happen smoothly, The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that lane closures are scheduled on both the northbound and southbound lanes.
Travel restrictions to be aware of:
- Monday, November 6: I-95 North will be reduced to two lanes from 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m., then to one lane from 11:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. the following morning.
- Wednesday, November 8: I-95 South will be reduced to two lanes from 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m., then to one lane from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the following morning.
PennDOT says construction crews will work overnight to move and reset temporary construction barriers and repaint lane markings prior to shifting three lanes of northbound traffic on Monday night and three lanes of southbound traffic on Wednesday night.
Today serves as another example to all that Pennsylvania can do big things,” said Secretary Carroll. “Thanks to the dedication of the workers and continued coordination between the Shapiro Administration, our federal partners and the City of Philadelphia, traffic continues to flow freely on I-95 and we are one step closer to restoring I-95 to its full capacity.”
Following the reopening of the new lanes, crews will begin removing the temporary structure that has been used to carry traffic since the reopening of the interstate on June 23. Which was just 12 days after a tanker truck explosion destroyed the bridge and northbound off-ramp.
“The Federal Highway Administration is proud to join PennDOT and our state, local, and private sector partners in Pennsylvania today to celebrate this important milestone marking the completion of the first stage of permanent repairs to I-95,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “We know that the I-95 corridor is a critical connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and that’s why this work stands as a testament to what we can accomplish together with a whole of government approach to restore this vital link that is critical to our nation.”
PennDOT says the material used in construction, which was an ultra-light foamed glass aggregate base provided by a Delaware County manufacturer will be stored at a PennDOT facility for reuse, if ever needed.
The entire new structure, including the reconstruction of the Cottman Avenue off-ramp, is expected to be completed and reopened in 2024.
For more updates, you can visit PennDOT’s I-95 Cottman Avenue Updates page.
