The highway support beams are now set in the permanent reconstruction of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia. 

The bridge collapsed in June in a fiery crash that officials initially thought would close the major East Coast transportation thoroughfare for many months.  

The beams on the southbound side were installed on Tuesday, August 29, and the northbound installation was completed on Thursday, August 31 for a total of eight 100-foot beams installed. According to PennDOT, each beam cost about $50,000 each and weighs 31,000 pounds.

There will be an additional eight beams installed over the coming months.

The temporary roadway structure will remain in place until the outside sections of the new bridge are completed later this year. Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll says he predicts this will happen this fall.

Traffic will then be shifted onto the completed sections of the overpasses while the center section of the permanent bridge is built in 2024. 

The recycled glass aggregate PennDOT used to construct the temporary fix for I-95 will be reused in other projects along the I-95 corridor, including the I-95 Cap project at Penn’s Landing. According to state officials, this project is expected to be finished in spring 2024. 

PennDOT has not released a specific timeline for when construction will be complete. 

According to PennDOT, throughout construction three lanes of traffic will be maintained in both directions on this section of I-95. 

The state agency is encouraging drivers to take the construction zone slow. Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement is deployed.