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Oct 16, 2023

First Steel Girder, Crossbeam For Permanent I

PHILADELPHIA — The first pieces of the permanent fix for the collapsed portion of Interstate 95 are completed, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro's office. Shapiro's office said High Steel Structures in

PHILADELPHIA — The first pieces of the permanent fix for the collapsed portion of Interstate 95 are completed, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro's office.

Shapiro's office said High Steel Structures in Lancaster is forging steel beams to be used in ;the construction of a new bridge over Cottman Avenue on I-95.

The company is using steel from the Cleveland Cliffs facility in Coatesville to forge the pieces.

And Monday, Shapiro was on hand for a "beam signing" ceremony as High Steel Structures completed the first steel girder and crossbeam.

High Steel Structures is forging 16 steel girders for the new bridge.

Forging the girders would normally take 6 to 9 months, but Shapiro's office said the work has been completed in just about 2 months.

"I’m especially proud to be here today with the team forging the steel girders that will carry the new I-95 overpass over Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. You all are doing incredible work – and it’s yet another example of the kinds of big things we can do here in Pennsylvania when we come together," Shapiro said. "From top to bottom, the I-95 repair has been powered by Pennsylvania companies and Pennsylvania workers, including High Steel Industries and the workers here, who are forging that steel into 16 girders that will serve as the backbone of the permanent structure. This is what we can accomplish when we come together to tackle big challenges, when we believe in Pennsylvania workers and companies, and invest in their success. That’s why the budget I signed into law last week includes major new investments in economic development, manufacturing, workforce training, and infrastructure repair. We can build big things again in Pennsylvania if we invest and in the companies that drive innovation, the workers that power our economy, and the infrastructure that connects us all."

The Cottman Avenue overpass collapsed the morning of Sunday, June 11 when a tanker truck crashed under the overpass, igniting the roughly 8,500 gallons of gasoline being hauled in the tanker.

Nathaniel Moody, the truck's driver, died in the crash.

The fire compromised the structural integrity of the existing span, causing the northbound side to collapse and made the southbound side unsafe to travel on.

Crews worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to demolish the previous structure and then establish a temporary six-lane road to resume traffic in just 12 days' time.

Shapiro said the expedience of the temporary highway's construction showed "we can get s*** done here in Pennsylvania."

The temporary highway reopened to regular traffic at noon on Friday, June 23.

The first vehicles to cross the new span belonged to Engine 38 of the Philadelphia Fire Department, which were the first crews to respond to the initial crash and fire.