(Philadelphia) The collapse of a section of the main north-south highway on the American east coast was caused by a tank truck leaving the road on Sunday morning, according to the authorities. The driver reportedly lost control of his heavy vehicle, which overturned on an exit ramp.
In the first official report from authorities on Monday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Michael Carroll said the driver was heading north when trying to “go around the curve, he lost control of the vehicle. “.
The tanker then overturned and a fire caused the structure to collapse.
Authorities fear the driver died in the accident. The relative of a New Jersey trucker, who has not been seen since Sunday, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that investigators contacted his family to ask him to come and identify a victim who was discovered in the rubble.
Pennsylvania State Police confirmed a body was turned over to the Philadelphia medical examiner and coroner, but did not identify the victim and would not reveal if it was the trucker .
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said “it’s a miracle that no motorists on Interstate 95 were injured,” not referring to the trucker.
Highway 95 will be closed in both directions for weeks at the start of the summer season. Motorists should expect major delays and street closures, and avoid the northeast corner of the country’s sixth-largest city, transportation officials said.
The accident also disrupts the automobile route between Canada and Florida through the metropolitan areas of Boston, New York and Washington, increasing Americans’ reliance on air travel and the interstate rail network.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority announced that it is operating three additional morning and late afternoon trains on its Trenton, New Jersey, line and increasing the capacity of regular lines during peak hours “to help meet the travel needs of the city and the region” following the collapse.
Philadelphia Fire Battalion Chief Derek Bowmer said the north lanes of Interstate 95 were completely destroyed and the south lanes were “compromised” by the heat of the blaze. Leakage from the fire or possibly ruptured gas pipes caused explosions underground, he added.
A huge concrete slab also fell from Highway 95 onto the road below.
The collapsed section of Highway 95 was part of a $212 million reconstruction project that was completed four years ago. There is no immediate timetable for the reopening of the highway, but the authorities are considering various temporary solutions.
Motorists had to take a detour of 70 kilometers on Monday.
This segment of Highway 95 carried about 160,000 vehicles a day and was probably the busiest highway in Pennsylvania, according to Secretary Carroll.
Mr. Shapiro, the governor, said he spoke directly to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and was assured there would be “absolutely no delays” in securing federal funds quickly to rebuild this which he called a “critical route” in the safest and most efficient way possible.
However, Mr. Shapiro warned that the complete reconstruction of Highway 95 would take “a number of months” and that, in the meantime, the authorities were looking for “interim solutions to connect the two sides of Highway 95 in order to to carry traffic in the region”.
Most drivers using the Interstate 95 corridor between Delaware and New York City use the New Jersey Turnpike rather than the segment of the freeway where the collapse occurred.
Authorities were also concerned about the environmental effects of runoff into the nearby Delaware River.
After iridescence was observed on the Delaware River near the site of the collapse, the Coast Guard deployed a boom to contain the material. Ensign Josh Ledoux said the tanker had a capacity of 32,176 liters, but the contents did not appear to be spilling into the environment.
Thousands of tons of steel and concrete have been piled at the site of the blaze, and heavy construction equipment will be needed to begin removing the debris, said Dominick Mireles, the director of the office of emergency management of Philadelphia.