I-95 collapse in Philadelphia to upend travel, shipping for months

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will cause “extensive disruption” in the region just as the summer travel season begins.

The failure will affect the movement of people and goods, he said Monday at an annual conference of the American Council of Engineering Companies in Washington. His agency will back the rebuilding with financial and technical support, he said.

A section of the highway, the longest north-south interstate on the East Coast, collapsed during a tanker-truck fire on Sunday. Northbound and southbound lanes will be closed for months, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

“The people of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania DOT and the entire region affected by this will have the full support of the United States Department of Transportation for as long as it takes to get that restored,” Buttigieg said.

Officials said that section of the interstate is used by about 160,000 vehicles per day. It’s part of a critical long-distance trucking and commuting route that cuts through Philadelphia, the nation’s sixth-most populous city, with about 1.6 million residents. Locally, it provides access to a wide industrial area whose products are shipped nationally.