I-95 in Philadelphia Expected to Reopen Within Two Weeks, Governor Says

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said on Saturday he was “confident” the portion of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia that collapsed last weekend will open within the next two weeks.

“We are going to get traffic moving again,” Mr. Shapiro said on Twitter, crediting an “all hands on deck approach.” Initially, he had said he expected the repairs to take months.

The crash on Sunday of a truck hauling gasoline led to a fire that left a section of the northbound side of the highway in ruins and the southbound section so badly damaged that it was demolished this week. Local officials are working with the federal government to rebuild the roadway.

Before the collapse, that stretch of the highway, in northeast Philadelphia near the Delaware River, was used by about 160,000 vehicles a day, officials said, though much of the interstate traffic traveling through the region already bypassed Philadelphia using the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs roughly parallel to I-95 east of the river.

In an effort to ease traffic concerns, officials have added extra cars to commuter trains, arranged detours and offered free parking at some mass transit lots.

On Saturday, President Biden took a helicopter tour of the collapsed portion of the highway and met with construction crews and emergency workers who responded to the crash. Mr. Biden said that people were working to get the project done “in record time” and that I-95 was critical to the local economy and quality of life.

He added that the federal government had released $3 million in emergency funds to offset the cost of repairs and that “a lot more” federal funding was coming.

“I grew up not very far from here,” Mr. Biden said. “I know how important this stretch of highway is not just to Philly but to the entire Northeast corridor and to my home state.”

The crash occurred when a truck, which was carrying about 8,500 gallons of gasoline, landed on its side, rupturing the tank and igniting the fire, officials said.

A body was found in the wreckage, and on Tuesday, authorities identified the victim as the truck driver, Nathan Moody, 53.

Amanda Holpuch, Campbell Robertson and Jon Hurdle contributed reporting.