In the early morning of June 11, 2023, a fuel tanker carrying around 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed on the northbound Cottman Avenue off-ramp from Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The resulting explosion and fire destroyed the I-95 bridges over Cottman Avenue, leaving the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) no choice but to close the interstate that carries 160,000 vehicles daily and serves as a key national north-south corridor.
However, with swift action and intense coordination between numerous agencies and Philadelphia’s building trades, PennDOT reopened the interstate just 12 days after the crash. Those efforts recently earned the Grand Prize in the 2024 America’s Transportation Awards competition sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The 2024 competition received over 100 nominations from 39 states. An independent panel of industry judges selected the Grand Prize winner.
Within minutes of the tanker crash, I-95 was closed to traffic to ensure the safety of all involved.
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Then, “Once the fire was extinguished, an all-hands-on-deck approach was taken to assess the damage,” said Din Abazi, PennDOT’s District Executive 6-0.
Demolition and site clearing began around 3 p.m. that day while PennDOT and other agencies met throughout the day and night to determine the direction for an interim repair.
“After careful consideration, it was decided that the most efficient and applicable material for the repair was a temporary mechanically stabilized wall system,” Abazi said. “This innovative approach utilized a relatively new material consisting of recycled foamed glass aggregate manufactured by Aero Aggregates in nearby Eddystone, Delaware County. This material has been used previously to fill several projects around the country and in another section of I-95, but it was a relatively new product for PennDOT. This was also the first time it had been used in an emergency.”
That innovative method allowed for rapid reconstruction until a more permanent repair could be implemented.
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“This particular material was specifically chosen due to multiple factors that had to be considered,” Abazi explained. “These factors included the ramp beneath the collapsed highway bridge and several existing underground utilities that could have been damaged if more traditional stone backfill had been used. Additionally, this innovative material provided a far more rapid backfill operation with much less procedural compaction.”
The lightweight material could be placed like concrete, then removed and reused when no longer needed.
To complete the work, tractor-trailer trucks delivered the glass aggregate. A conveyor moved the material to a fabric chute, allowing for precise placement within 18-inch wire cages. Each 18-inch lift was then compacted before the next lift was placed. A geogrid material between each layer added strength.
Crews worked around the clock, placing the last recycled glass aggregate on June 19, eight days after the crash. In the last 4 feet of fill, traditional modified stone was utilized for the Gravix barrier installation and as a base for the bituminous pavement. Paving began on June 21 and, despite some weather complications, finished a day later.
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PennDOT reopened I-95 on June 23, 2023, on a temporary roadway structure. C. Abbonizio Contractors Inc. of Deptford, New Jersey, served as the demolition contractor and Buckley & Company, Inc., of Philadelphia as bridge contractor for the $4.5 million emergency repair.
During the initial phase of the recovery, PennDOT deployed several portable CCTV cameras to monitor traffic and critical detour points. Those cameras, along with numerous fixed cameras operated by PennDOT and the City of Philadelphia, helped with daily design, implementation, and monitoring of traffic control improvements.
In collaboration with Governor Josh Shapiro’s communications office and Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll, PennDOT decided to use the cameras to broadcast a 24-hour livestream that allowed the public to monitor progress in real-time.
“The stream became an instant hit on the internet, with many bars and restaurants, including Xfinity Live, continuously broadcasting it,” Abazi said. “There were reports of viewing parties and incredible public engagement. This public relations tool increased community support by providing complete transparency of the daily recovery efforts and demonstrating that the work was progressing efficiently.”
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| SITECH Central LLC |
After completing the emergency repair, the contractors continued work on the damaged section while maintaining three lanes of traffic in each direction. The final repair work finished in May 2024.
“If I-95 had been shut down for a more extended period, the economic impacts would have been tremendous and potentially devastating due to the inability to move goods and services and the costs of additional congestion created by the diverted traffic on alternate routes,” Abazi said.
