Atlanta, GA
How the I-95 collapse compares to I-85 collapse in Atlanta six years ago
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Engineers are busy creating a plan to get the collapsed portion of I-95 rebuilt as quickly as possible.
Giving people hope is a similar incident in Atlanta six years ago, when crews were able to make repairs in less than two months.
The fiery bridge collapse toppled a portion of I-85 in 2017, shutting the overpass down completely.
Investigators say a homeless man sparked the intense blaze after intentionally setting a chair on fire and subsequently igniting combustible materials stored under the highway.
Crews work on a section of an overpass that collapsed from a large fire on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Friday, March 31, 2017.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)
Engineers say neither collapse was due to infrastructure issues, but a result of extreme heat.
“We design stuff to be reliable and this is odd and unreliable. It’s happened in the past. But if you consider bridge fires that happened, compare it to a home fire or building fire, there’s way, way, less of those,” said Andrew Bechtel, a civil engineering professor at The College of New Jersey.
SEE ALSO: Officials: Driver lost control of tanker before fire, I-95 collapse
Given the size of the I-95 collapse and damage, Professor Bechtel expects the repairs to take much longer than Atlanta.
“They have to remove everything that’s there. Look at what’s left — that’s months,” said Prof. Bechtel. “Every bridge is essentially custom made, brought to the site and constructed. And I-95 is a big road that carries heavy traffic.”
Crews have been working around the clock, inspecting and then demolishing the damaged stretch of road while engineers are designing its replacement.
Many drivers say avoiding the mess is impossible.
Crews work to remove the damaged overpass on the southbound lanes of I-95 on June 12, 2023.
“You don’t realize how much that cripples the city, you really really don’t,” said Ruth Acker of Bridesburg.
Officials say it could take months to repair both the northbound and southbound lanes that were damaged by the deadly tanker fire.
To speed up the process, Governor Josh Shapiro is asking the feds for more money.
“I think the clear message from us is that any federal resources that is necessary will be made available to ensure that this bridge get reopened as quickly as possible,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt.
SEE ALSO: Drexel University engineer explains possible cause of I-95 collapse in Philadelphia