I-95 southbound reopens after tractor-trailer crash, fire today
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some lanes have reopened on I-95 southbound in Philadelphia after a closure lasting about nine hours when a tractor-trailer jackknifed and caught fire on the Castor Avenue overpass Friday morning.
As firefighters put out the flames, the southbound side was closed between Exit 26 for the Betsy Ross Bridge and Aramingo Avenue, and the Girard Avenue/Lehigh Avenue exit, according to the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
Neighbors said the fire began around 4:30 a.m. It was put out before 6 a.m. and then around 9 a.m., a tow truck was hauling off the burnt remnants of the truck. Heading into the 12 p.m. hour, crews from PennDOT treated a spill in the roadway with sand as PennDOT engineers ensured there was no structural damage to the highway.
Some lanes on the southbound side will remain closed as workers repair the guardrail dividing the northbound and southbound lanes.
Video from the Citizen app showed the truck up in flames.
The fire was in the area of Allegheny Avenue and Castor Avenue and appeared to be out before 6 a.m. Pennsylvania State Police said the driver of the truck got out, but there was no word on their condition.
Smoke from the fire could be seen on traffic cameras.
Workers also need to repair about 200 feet of guardrail dividing the northbound and southbound lanes, which was damaged in the crash and fire.
"The tractor-trailer burned a significant portion of the roadway, and they have to make sure the underneath is not compromised as well as clearing all the debris you see here," Lt. William Slaton of the Pennsylvania State Police said.
Slaton said at first, two southbound lanes would reopen. The lanes closest to the guardrail will remain closed so that workers can safely finish the guardrail repairs. Police want to make sure that barrier is in place so northbound traffic cannot cross over and hit southbound traffic, Slaton said.
Late on Friday morning, police opened one lane trying to alleviate a massive backup of people stuck on the highway.
Drivers were urged to take alternate routes and allow extra time to get to their destination. NEXT Traffic anchor Chris Garrett suggests Route 1, Aramingo Avenue and Frankford Avenue as your main alternate routes.
We also saw on traffic cameras people going the wrong way down exit ramps to get away from the delays.
Pennsylvania State Police previously estimated the crash scene would take six to eight hours to clear.
Castor Avenue residents react after fire shuts down I-95 in Philadelphia
Some neighbors on Castor Avenue had said they were worried the flames would spread to their homes.
Alberta Heim, who lives on Castor, said she heard and saw fire trucks but hadn't seen the fire until we showed her the video.
"That's bad," Heim said. "Could blow up the whole neighborhood. I don't know, people don't drive today right. They drive crazy."
We're still working to find out what caused this crash and fire.
You can find more information about traffic delays and road closures in your area on these web pages.
https://www.511pa.com/
https://www.511nj.org/
https://deldot.gov/map/
