I-95 in Philadelphia fully reopens one year after catastrophic tanker fire, collapse

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is celebrating the reopening of a section of I-95 in Philadelphia that suffered a catastrophic collapse due to a tanker truck crash and fire.

PennDOT announced that all permanent lanes of I-95 in northeast Philadelphia will reopen to traffic at at 5 a.m. on Friday, May 24, in time for the busy Memorial Day holiday.

Work to repair the collapsed section of I-95 has been ongoing since June 2023.

On June 11, 2023, tanker truck driver Nathaniel Moody, 53, was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline north on I-95 when he lost control on a ramp.

The truck struck a wall and overturned, resulting in a massive fire that caused severe structural damage to the overpass, resulting in a partial collapse of I-95. The tanker truck was buried in the rubble under the overpass.

Moody died in the crash.

PennDOT was able to reopen six temporary lanes of I-95 on June 23, 2023.

“As we officially re-open I-95 today, the Parker Administration is proud that the partnership displayed between PennDOT, the Biden Administration, as well as my own City departments, not only weathered the calamity of the I-95 collapse, but we have established a model for the coordination of infrastructure projects that yields the results all Philadelphians expect and deserve,” said Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director Mike Carroll. “Mayor Parker has made it clear that intergovernmental cooperation is a top priority since it maximizes resources from all levels of government and residents benefit from those collaborations.”