Shapiro Administration's Response to I-95 Collapse Named America's Transportation Awards Finalist

Crews reopened I-95 to traffic just 12 days after the fire and collapse - well ahead of experts' original predictions

People's Choice voting open until Oct. 29

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that its response to the collapse of the bridge carrying Interstate 95 over Cottman Avenue in northeast Philadelphia last year has been named one of the Top 12 finalists in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) 2024 America's Transportation Awards competition.

After the fire and collapse of the bridge carrying I-95 over Cottman Avenue in northeast Philadelphia in the early morning hours of June 11, 2023, the PennDOT District 6 team sprang into action. Immediately following the collapse, Governor Shapiro issued a Declaration of Disaster Emergency, which allowed the team to mobilize contractors quickly to demolish the collapsed bridge and procure materials to build a temporary roadway, including locally made recycled foam glass aggregate.

Thanks to the coordination between PennDOT, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the City of Philadelphia, and the around-the-clock work of the Philadelphia Building Trades and contractors, crews demolished the damaged roadway and built the temporary roadway and reopened I-95 to traffic 12 days after the fire and collapse - well ahead of experts' original predictions. On May 23, 2024, less than a year later, the permanent reconstruction of the bridge was completed.

"Reopening I-95 in record time was the direct result of incredible collaboration and is a testament to what is possible when everyone is committed to taking action and finding solutions," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "I'm incredibly proud that PennDOT and the project team have been recognized with this award, and we hope that Pennsylvanians will vote for this worthy project."

The Top 12 finalists - whittled down from 106 nominees from 39 state DOTs via four regional contests - now compete for the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the competition evaluates projects in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Best Use of Technology & Innovation; and Operations Excellence. The projects are also divided into three sizes: small (projects costing up to $25 million); medium (projects that cost between $26 million to $200 million); and large (projects costing more than $200 million).

The Grand Prize will be decided by an independent panel of transportation experts, while the People's Choice Award will be determined by online voting, weighted by state population. Winners will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in October. Online voting is underway at americastransportationawards.org and continues through 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Individuals can cast no more than one vote per day per project.

Cast your vote for the I-95 emergency response here. Individuals can cast no more than one vote per device per day.

To learn more about the America's Transportation Awards projects, visit www.AmericasTransportationAwards.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Erin Waters-Trasatt, [email protected], or Alexis Campbell, [email protected], 717-783-8800

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