DOT PROVIDES $5 MILLION TO PENNSYLVANIA TO REPAIR I-95 SECTION CLOSED AFTER FIERY TRUCK CRASH

Topics:  Interstate Highway System

Federal Highway Administration
June 19, 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 19, 1998
Contact: Jim Pinkelman
Telephone: 202-366-0660
FHWA 28-98

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced that Pennsylvania will receive $5 million in emergency relief funds to repair damage on an Interstate 95 structure over the Chester Creek in the city of Chester, Pa., near Philadelphia.

A section of I-95 was critically damaged and closed to traffic as a result of a tanker truck crash and fire on May 23, just as the Memorial Day holiday weekend was beginning. The crash killed two people and resulted in the closure of a section of I-95, which produced lengthy delays on the highway. I-95 is among the most heavily traveled corridors in the United States.

"President Clinton joins me as we mourn the lives lost in this tragic accident," Secretary Slater said. "The President also recognizes the tremendous difficulties caused by the I-95 closure, which affects the daily lives of thousands of people across the northeastern United States and also to the economy of Pennsylvania and surrounding states."

The $5 million, which comes from the department’s Federal Highway Administration, was provided in response to the state’s request for help to repair federal-aid roads. FHWA money is awarded after a formal emergency proclamation has been issued and the state has filed a preliminary damage assessment for its highways and bridges on the federal-aid system.

The funds reimburse the state for emergency work that is already completed and provides funding for other necessary repairs to correct major or unusual damage to federal-aid highways. Eligible repair work includes reconstructing damaged bridges and pavement surfaces, establishing detours, removing slides and debris, and replacing signs, lighting and guardrails.