Jet dryer from Pocono Raceway being used at I-95 construction site
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A piece of equipment used to dry out a racetrack for NASCAR cars will be used on the temporary roadway over the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia.
Chopper 3 was over I-95 on Thursday as a Pennsylvania State Police vehicle escorted a pace car and truck from the Pocono Raceway down the highway toward the I-95 collapse site.
Work to fill the gap left after the collapse is completed -- it's now full of backfill made of a rock-like material made that Delco-based company Aero Aggregates. Wednesday night, the crews started paving the temporary road to meet the existing highway.
But this week's weather is not cooperating with the aggressive plan to reopen the closed portion of I-95 this weekend.
Now, Pocono Raceway is stepping in to help.
With rain in the forecast, the Pocono Raceway was called in to help the rebuild of I-95.
— Nikki DeMentri (@nikkidementri) June 22, 2023
The raceway sent down a jet dryer — which is a jet engine attached to the back of a pickup truck (pictured below).
It’s on site now and helping crews! @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/eFBtuA3ERX
With rain in the forecast for the next several days, Pocono Raceway is providing a heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado outfitted with a jet engine on the back. The engine fan will be used to help dry out the pavement.
The jet dryer will help as crews add lane striping paint to the road despite the wet conditions.
The track at the raceway needs to be dry because NASCAR cars don't have treads. If the road is too wet, the cars wouldn't have much traction.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, who used to represent parts of Monroe county in the state House, made a call to Pocono Raceway President Ben May to get the jet dryer to the I-95 site.
"Between NASCAR and the individual racetracks, we have a lot of equipment to dry racetracks in as quick of a manner as we can to get the competition to resume," May said.
After Carroll reached out, Pocono Raceway agreed.
"We rallied the pace car, we rallied the team that operates the jet truck, and off they went this morning down to Philly," May said.
This came together out of a sense of civic duty:
"We would do whatever we can to help the Commonwealth," May said. "Something that's as important as I-95 ... for the state in general, for the Eastern seaboard, and you know selfishly, it's tourist season here in the Poconos, so we've got to get people to the Poconos as quickly as possible."
May said the truck will stay as long as it needs to.
"We're humbled to be a part of it, we're proud to be a part of it and get this sucker back open," May said.