A collapsed portion of Interstate 95 reopened at noon on Friday.
Workers put the finishing touches on the temporary six-lane roadway this morning, and the temporarily repaired roadway was reopened to traffic at 12 p.m. EST. The reopening comes after the recruitment of a NASCAR racetrack jet dryer to ensure the pavement dried despite rainy weather.
“They said it couldn’t be done, you know,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said. “When I stood here 12 days ago, I must say there was a pessimism in the air, one that I believe has lingered in this city and in this commonwealth for far too long. And today, all of us here together prove them wrong.”
“This was a moment of civic pride for Philly and Pennsylvania. We all came together and we proved that we could do big things again in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said, reported WGAL 8.
Shortly after Shapiro’s speech, police vehicles and fire engines crossed the northbound side of the newly paved section of roadway as a sort of christening ceremony.
Engineers have reportedly already started the design process of the permanent roadway.