After initially saying that it would take months to rebuild, Governor Josh Shapiro announced yesterday that I-95 will open within the next two weeks.

The announcement came after Shapiro and President Joe Biden took a helicopter tour of the collapsed bridge and damaged road.

Biden said “there is no more important project” going on right now. “We’re with you. We’re going to stay with you” until the work is “totally finished,” he said.

The plan involves 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets to fill in the collapsed area and a forthcoming replacement bridge which will reroute traffic while crews excavate the filled in area to restore the exit ramp.

From Governor Shapiro’s Facebook posts:

Today, I can state with confidence:

We will have I-95 open within the next two weeks.

We are going to get traffic moving again — thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our incredible union trade workers and our all hands on deck approach.

When we’re sleeping in the middle of the night, these guys will be working on I-95.

When you take a day off to go to the Shore — they won’t. They’ll be working.

Proud of the great work that the folks from the Philadelphia Building Trades are doing to rebuild I-95.

Biden also announced the federal government will reimburse 100% of the work for the next 200 days, followed by 90%. This will help expedite the rebuilding process and cover the cost of union workers.

For additional coverage, you can read 6ABC’s article here. You can also watch their video:

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Photo courtesy of 6ABC