Commuters face travel chaos after tanker hauling gas flipped on I-95 in Philadelphia; body recovered

Commuters faced delays, detours and travel chaos Monday after a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped on an I-95 off-ramp in Philadelphia, triggering a fire that caused a portion of the major interstate to collapse over the weekend.

The northbound tanker driver was "trying to navigate the curve, lost control of the vehicle, landed on its side and ruptured the tank” early Sunday, state Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said.

Interstate 95 will remain closed in both directions for weeks. The elevated southbound portion and the northbound side will have to be demolished, Carroll said.

Pennsylvania State Police said a body recovered from the wreckage was turned over to the Philadelphia medical examiner and coroner and authorities are in the process of identifying the remains. A relative of the tanker driver who has not heard from him since Sunday told The Philadelphia Inquirer that authorities contacted the family in an effort to identify the remains.

No other vehicle has been recovered from the site. Officials said they had been in contact with the trucking company but did not identify it.

The incident comes at the start of the summer travel season. "This morning, we had folks who woke up having disconnected for the weekend not realizing what had happened, and traffic began to mount," Jana Tidwell, a spokesperson for AAA, said Monday.

Tidwell, who was at the site Monday, described the scene as "devastating." She said crews have been working around the clock to remove debris from the road, which runs through a city neighborhood.

"This is going to have a ripple effect throughout the region for days, weeks and even months to come as commuters who do use this roadway find other routes," Tidwell said.

State and regional officials created detours for commuters Monday. "We're also looking at interim solutions to connect both sides of I-95 to get traffic through the area," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

I-95 collapse in Philadelphia: How did the section of the major interstate collapse?

Disaster declaration is declared

Demolition of the collapsed bridge was underway Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said. Carroll said the demolition is expected to be completed in four to five days.

Shapiro issued a disaster declaration Monday so the state and city can receive federal funds to begin reconstruction of the heavily traveled artery. The declaration makes $7 million of state funds immediately available for reconstruction efforts, according to a statement from Shapiro’s office.

He said federal authorities have assured him there will be "no delay" in approving the declaration and accessing federal assistance with rebuilding this "critical" transportation artery.

"We are all hands on deck to repair I-95 as safely and as efficiently as possible," Shapiro said. Earlier, he said, "I-95 is a critical roadway that supports our economy and plays an important role in folks’ everyday lives."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was monitoring the situation, and President Joe Biden was also briefed.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it began its on-scene investigation with local and state agencies Monday. A preliminary report will be available in two to three weeks, the agency said.

Where is I-95 located?

The main north-south highway on the East Coast stretches from Florida through Maine to Canada. An average of 160,000 vehicles a day travel through the area of the overpass collapse, according to state officials.

Carroll said the highway span where the incident occurred was 10 to 12 years old and appeared sound.

Is I-95 still closed?

A complete rebuild of I-95 roadway is expected to take "a number of months," Shapiro said. He said his office will have a better timeline after state officials and engineers finish their structural review. "It is a remarkably devastating sight," he said.

Where was the I-95 collapse?

The collapse happened near the Cottman Avenue exit, between Exits 30 and 32, in Northeast Philadelphia, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management.

Social media videos showed harrowing close calls around the accident as people drove through the area as flames raced nearby.

Where is the I-95 collapse? Maps show where it happened and how traffic is affected.

What part of I-95 is closed?

All lanes of I-95 are closed in both directions between Woodhaven and Aramingo exits, and some streets in the surrounding area are also closed for emergency response, the office said.

Are there concerns about contamination?

State officials were monitoring the possibility of environmental effects of runoff into the nearby Delaware River.

After a sheen was seen in the river near the collapse site, the Coast Guard deployed a boom to contain the material. Ensign Josh Ledoux said the tanker had a capacity of 8,500 gallons, but the contents did not appear to be spreading into the environment.

I-95 detour routes recommended

For people traveling on I-95 southbound, officials recommended using Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road) to U.S. 1 South to 76 East to 676 East. For people traveling I-95 northbound, officials recommended I-676 West to I-76 West to U.S. 1 North to Route 63 East (Woodhaven Road).

Philadelphia residents should use regional public transits services, such as rapid transit, commuter rail or light rail, the city's Office of Emergency Management said. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is adding extra capacity and services.

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'It's going to drastically change my commute'

The highway is a popular route for Philadelphia-area residents who work and vacation in Delaware and New Jersey. By Sunday afternoon, motorists were reporting backups on the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey.

Nicole Direso, a resident of Trevose, Pennsylvania, was caught in the traffic returning from the Jersey shore. She said the delays added at least a half-hour to her trip. "I'm not the most patient person when it comes to traffic, and today was like a living hell for me driving home," she said.

Maureen Gross, of Newtown Township, Pennsylvania, said she was hoping her Camden, New Jersey, employer will allow her to work from home. Otherwise, she is anticipating a long, grueling summer. "It's going to drastically change my commute, on top of a not-so-great commute to begin with," she said.

This isn't the first time that an I-95 disaster has impacted her commute. In 1996, Gross was commuting to work in Delaware when a tire fire in Philadelphia resulted in severe structural damage to a portion of I-95, leading to a temporary closure, followed by lane limits that lasted for months during reconstruction.

Map of I-95 collapse

Contributing: Jo Ciavaglia, Bucks County Courier Times; Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I-95 collapse updates: Detours created as rebuild could take months