For any non Americans, the largest interstates are one or two digits, divisible by 5. This particular collapse occurred in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Also for any non-Americans I-95 is the major artery for traffic up and down the East coast. It runs from Miami, FL to the Canadian border in Maine.
Odd-numbered interstates travel north-south, even ones east-west.
Oh and the numbers start in the west and south and get higher the further east and north you go. So the west coast equivalent of I-95 is I-5.
This looks similar to what happened in Atlanta a few years back. In that one a bunch of trash stored under the bridge caught fire and caused it to collapse. Wreaked havoc on traffic for years.
There are a number of other highways that people can use as alternate routes to get around Philadelphia, but this could be a major disruption depending on how long it takes to repair the damage. I was planning on driving to New England sometime this summer, and I use some of those alternate route to avoid traffic… I’m guessing that won’t be an option this year, though.
NB is gone. SB has damage. Manhole covers exploding in the area per local news.
Wow that picture looks crazy. I didn’t know bridges could collapse like that due to fire.
It also happened in 2017 in Georgia on I-85.
Makes me wonder when the last time that bridge was inspected. Glad to hear that no one was injured.
Article that doesn’t have https://6abc.com/interstate-95-collapse-i-95-fire-philly-overpass-tanker/13368736/
They had just finished that stretch as a rebuild in i think 2017. Used to live nearby and this stretch was under construction something close to a decade
No amount of bridge inspection would help for a sustained chemical fire under the bridge.
A fire under a low bridge like that will weaken the steel structure and cause it to bend and break. It wouldn’t matter if it was brand new or 50 years old.
Welp, never going to work again I guess.
Wow. This is terrifying.
This is one of my biggest fears.
