A tanker fire caused part of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse.
buayaberdiri.blogspot.com - On Monday morning, a tanker truck carrying gasoline crashed and caught fire on Interstate 95 near the Betsy Ross Bridge in Philadelphia. The intense heat from the flames melted the steel beams supporting the highway, causing a section of the road to collapse. No one was injured in the incident, but the damage to the infrastructure was severe.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) said that the fire was extinguished by 11:30 a.m., but the cleanup and repair work would take several days. The agency closed both directions of I-95 between Bridge Street and Allegheny Avenue, as well as several ramps and local streets. Drivers were advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
PennDOT also said that it would conduct a thorough inspection of the bridge and the highway to assess the extent of the damage and determine the best course of action for restoration. The agency estimated that it would cost millions of dollars to rebuild the collapsed section of I-95, which is one of the busiest highways in the country.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but witnesses reported that the tanker truck was speeding and weaving through traffic before it hit a barrier and overturned. The driver of the truck escaped from the vehicle before it burst into flames. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation and later released.
The incident raised questions about the safety and resilience of the nation's aging infrastructure, especially in light of the recent bipartisan agreement on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that aims to upgrade roads, bridges, transit systems, water systems, broadband networks and more. The bill has yet to pass Congress, but supporters say that it would create millions of jobs, improve public safety and enhance economic competitiveness.