I-95 Reconstruction Will Take Months, Bensalem Officials Say

BENSALEM, PA - Bensalem residents may have to wait more than six months before the collapsed section of I-95 is rebuilt, officials said during a Monday town meeting.

Reconstruction will take at least four to six months as state officials brainstorm a new design for the section of the roadway that collapsed Sunday morning after a tractor trailer hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed on the Route 73/Cottman Avenue ramp at around 6:20 a.m. Human remains were found at the scene Monday. Read more: I-95 Collapse: Everything We Know So Far

The repercussions of the collapse, which has closed the highway in both directions, will be felt for months, officials have said.

“We don’t really know how long or what that’s going to take, but they have to immediately figure out a design on what to do to stabilize each section and add a new section on top of that, and it seems to me that most of that will probably be a temporary basis,” said township engineer Phil Wursta.

Traffic in Bensalem was impacted slightly by the collapse as traffic was diverted to Route 1 from Woodhaven Road, though a water main break and gas leak on Route 1 in Southampton caused traffic to be diverted once more, Director of Public Safety William McVey said at the meeting.

Other than the traffic snafu, impacts have been slim.

“It really has had no impact on Bensalem, which we’re very thankful for,” McVey said. “We’ve been in touch with Philadelphia leadership and the Office of Emergency Management [and] offered our assistance if needed, but nothing has been needed.”

“We’ve been looking at all the traffic signals, because they’re adaptive traffic signals that are made to change traffic signal timing based upon the volume,” Wursta added. “We’re pleased to report that everything has been working very well.”

Watch a clip from the meeting below: