I-95 accident: Railroad bridge clipped by police-escorted truck under investigation as repairs continue
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Police Department has opened an investigation after a truck clipped a railroad bridge Monday causing a closure on I-95.
Officials say a truck clipped the bottom of the blue railroad bridge that runs over I-95 and alongside the Betsy Ross Bridge around 1:30 p.m. Monday.
Police say the truck was approved with a hauling permit and permitted to transport the oversize load with a Philadelphia Police Department escort.
Officers who were escorting the vehicle notified police and the Office of Emergency Management after the bridge was hit.
PennDOT would have approved the hauling permit for the wide load truck and the route it would take.
The hauling permit application requires companies to list the total height of the vehicle and what it’s hauling.
The driver, a 37-year-old male, was driving northbound on I-95 when the crash occurred. There were no injuries to the driver.
The accident caused a major backup on I-95 North in the area of Vine Street and the Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue interchange as it was reduced to a single lane for several hours while Conrail bridge engineers conducted an inspection and established an emergency repair plan.
I-95 accident: Truck clips Philadelphia railroad bridge causing I-95 closure for several days amid repairs
I-95 will close for several days near the Betsy Ross Bridge and Aramingo Avenue Interchange due to repairs after a truck clipped the blue overhead railroad bridge Monday, PennDOT says.
At approximately 10 p.m. Monday, the portion of I-95 northbound was shut down for repairs.
According to PennDOT, the bridge will be closed for several days. An official timeline of when folks can expect it to reopen has not been announced yet.
Mayor Cherelle Parker addressed the matter following her press conference Wednesday where she signed three new bills into law.
She confirmed the police department is working to investigate and gather more details on why the police escorted truck clipped the bridge.