Global Courant
The driver of a tanker truck carrying gasoline lost control on a curving ramp on Interstate 95, causing the truck to overturn and catch fire, leading to the collapse of northbound lanes in early June
FILE – Crews work at the site of a collapsed elevated section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, June 14, 2023. The highway was scheduled to reopen to traffic on Friday, June 23, less than two weeks after the collapse. the main north-south highway of the east coast. Workers were finalizing a six-lane intermediate road that will serve motorists during the construction of a permanent bridge. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
The associated press
PHILADELPHIA — The driver of a tanker truck carrying gasoline lost control on a curving ramp on Interstate 95, causing the truck to overturn and catch fire, leading to the collapse of northbound lanes in early June, federal safety officials said Thursday in a preliminary report.
The brief report from the National Transportation Safety Board outlined what happened on June 11, when an elevated section of Interstate-95 collapsed after the tanker truck caught fire below it. It largely confirmed what state officials said earlier.
The truck, which was a combined vehicle consisting of a truck tractor and tanker trailer, was carrying 8,500 gallons (about 32,200 liters) of gasoline from Wilmington, Delaware, to a gas station on Oxford Avenue in Philadelphia, according to the report. It was operated through an affiliated carrier leased to Penn Tank Lines.
The driver, who died in the crash, exited the northbound lanes of I-95 at Cottman Avenue onto a curving exit signposted with a 25 mph (about 40 km/h) speed limit and truck tipping warning signs, it said. officials in the report. The driver could no longer control the vehicle, after which it overturned and caught fire.
The fire collapsed northbound lanes on the Cottman Avenue exit and damaged southbound lanes.
The National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene the night of the crash to collect information about the truck and talk to the company and emergency services to understand the sequence of events. It continues to investigate the crash and collapse.
In less than two weeks, a six-lane intermediate road was constructed, with crews working around the clock to get traffic moving again on a heavily trafficked section of the East Coast’s main highway. The damaged I-95 segment carries about 160,000 vehicles daily, state officials said.
Workers used about 2,000 tons (1,814 t) of lightweight glass nuggets to fill the underpass and raise it to ground level, then paved it to create three lanes in each direction. The temporary section has no shoulders and slightly narrower lanes and is posted at 45 mph (about 72 kph).
