Traffic was halted in both directions early Sunday morning, June 11 and will be indefinitely following the collapse of an elevated section of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia. 

A tanker truck carrying gasoline caught fire beneath the overpass due to a crash or another incident and collapsed from the extreme heat, eliminating one of the main expressways on the East Coast that will cause travel problems in the region. 

“That structure quickly collapsed with the heat of the fire as big as it was,” said Brad Rudolph, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. “And then the southbound structure was also shut down because it was compromised by the fire as well.”

The tanker truck was carrying over 8,500 gallons of gasoline at the time, according to Coast Guard petty officer Kimberly Reaves.

The Philadelphia Fire Department said it responded to the scene about 6:30 a.m. Sunday and had declared it under control by 7:30 a.m. The cause of the fire is still unknown and no information on the driver has been disclosed. 

Local and state authorities hurried to look for commuting solutions on Monday morning including the possible months to come with the rebuild expected to take “months,” according to PA Governor Josh Shapiro. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Twitter post that President Joe Biden was briefed on the collapse and that White House officials were in contact with Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s offices to offer assistance.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also said it was sending a team to investigate the fire and collapse.

It is a big loss to the busy highway as the collapsed section carried about 160,000 vehicles daily. The southbound side is also compromised, Shapiro said, saying that it would take “some number of months” to rebuild the highway. 

The affected portion of I-95 also carried about 14,000 trucks per day, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission said Sunday.

Shapiro said that at least one vehicle remained trapped in the accident and that officials were still working to identify “any individual or individuals” who may have been caught in the fire and the collapse. 

The governor described the scene as a “remarkable devastation,” adding, “I found myself, you know, thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on I-95 were injured or died.”

Shapiro said Sunday he would issue a disaster declaration on Monday, June 12 and added he and Kenney had been assured by the federal transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, that any and all resources needed would be provided. 

Shapiro’s declaration will allow the state to use federal funds to expedite repairs on what is “likely the busiest interstate in our commonwealth,” according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll.

Tumar Alexander, managing director for the City of Philadelphia, said the incident will have “a significant impact to this community for a while.”

“This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete,” Buttigieg said in a social media post.

Leslie Richards, general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), said extra capacity would be added including service to other transportation routes. 

Besides the headaches to daily commuters and commercial drivers, there could be an economic impact from the accident as it poses potential problems to deliveries. 

Several industrial businesses including port facilities and manufacturing exist nearby and around the collapsed portion of the highway, as it is an important way for regional freight movement, Kristen Scudder, the city’s planning commission freight program manager said Sunday.

“Those industries are what’s going to feel the brunt of the disruption probably due to surface street delays and potentially diversions for shipments coming in and out,” Scudder said.

The local supply chain could momentarily face some problems, Scudder said, with increased shipping and inventory storage costs. Most of the national freight movement goes through nearby Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike. 

However, Scrudder added those issues should subside as drivers become more comfortable with the detours.