U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has made a commitment to promptly assist in the repair of the main north-south highway on the East Coast. He emphasized that the collapse of a section of Interstate 95 will likely lead to increased transportation costs for consumer goods, as truckers now have to take longer routes.
Speaking near the site of the accident, where a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline flipped over on an I-95 off-ramp and caught fire, Buttigieg acknowledged that disruptions in trucking routes will put pressure on shipping costs along the East Coast.
Buttigieg toured the site and assured reporters that all necessary resources will be provided to Pennsylvania to ensure the bridge is repaired quickly and safely.
Although most drivers in the I-95 corridor between Delaware and New York City use the New Jersey Turnpike instead of the section where the collapse occurred, the incident is causing significant traffic congestion in Philadelphia at the beginning of the summer travel season. This disruption is negatively impacting morning commutes, businesses, and forcing trucking companies to find alternative routes.
While Pennsylvania State Police believe the driver perished in the accident, the body has not been officially identified by the city’s medical examiner. The resulting fire caused the collapse of the northbound lanes of I-95, and the southbound lanes were also compromised due to the heat.
Replacing the damaged section will likely take several weeks at the minimum. Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary, Michael Carroll, stated that demolition work is ongoing round the clock, and his agency will reveal a replacement plan for the 100-foot section of I-95 on Wednesday.
Buttigieg mentioned that there is currently no estimate of the cost increases consumers may face due to the incident. However, he assured that the trucking industry is working on utilizing alternative routes efficiently. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Transportation is collaborating with route-selecting software companies like Google and Waze to enhance the optimization of their products.
Ultimately, Buttigieg emphasized the crucial importance of having I-95 fully operational once again.
Approximately 8% of the 160,000 vehicles that travel this section daily are trucks, representing a significant portion of America’s GDP.
Subodha Kumar, a professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, pointed out that it is difficult to determine the extent of shipping delays and increased costs without analyzing all the alternative trucking routes. However, he noted that the additional costs will not be insignificant and will impact commerce with Canada and have cascading effects on the supply chain.
Kumar stressed that even small disruptions can have exponential effects, leading to significant changes. The immediate impact will be felt on perishable foods.
For the time being, I-95 will be closed in both directions. The elevated southbound section will have to be demolished, along with the northbound side.
State police officials revealed that the trucking company involved in the accident has been cooperating, but they have not disclosed the identity of the company or whether it was properly licensed to transport gasoline.
Rebuilding the affected stretch of I-95 is likely to extend into July or August.
Similar incidents have occurred in the past, such as a highway ramp collapse in Oakland, California, which was replaced in just 26 days. In Atlanta, an elevated portion of Interstate 85 collapsed due to a fire in March 2017 and took authorities 43 days to replace.
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