Pennsylvania officials will use 2,000 tons of lightweight foamed glass nuggets to fill in the section of a U.S. Interstate 95 overpass in Philadelphia that collapsed after a fire Sunday.
The northbound lanes of the overpass collapsed, while the southbound lanes sagged and warped, necessitating repair to both sides. The demolition of the road is scheduled for Thursday.
The gap being filled in is 100 feet long and 150 feet wide; 10,000 cubic yards of the nuggets will be used to fill the underpass before it’s paved over up top to reopen three lanes in each direction.
The nuggets are made by AeroAggregates of North America, which has a production facility just south of Philadelphia.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been using the product since AeroAggregates CEO Archie Filshill invented it in 2017. The company takes recycled glass, powders it, mixes the powder with a foaming agent, and heats the mixture in insulated chambers.
The foaming agent produces bubbles when heated, creating the nuggets.
The fill-in will allow for the commercial artery to reopen, although Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro refused to say when.
“When I’m sleeping in the middle of the night, these guys are going to be working on this road,” he said. “When some of you choose to take a day and go down the [Jersey] Shore, these guys are going to be working on this road — 24/7 until this road is reopened.”
The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the overpass collapse, caused by a tanker crash and fire.
The vehicle was transporting 8,500 gallons of fuel to a convenience store at 6:20 a.m. Sunday when driver Nathan Moody, 53, lost control on a curving exit ramp under the overpass. The tanker ruptured when it landed on its side.
The fuel gushing from the puncture point caught fire and the truck exploded. Moody died from blunt trauma, smoke inhalation and heat-related injuries.
Security footage from the Baldor Specialty Foods building caught the crash and blast at a distance and was posted on Twitter by user Billy Logan
@MarkFusetti # I95Collapse Philadelphia?src=hash& amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”># Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/KSkMxTpAzD</ a>
— Billy Logan (@blogan22) June 12, 2023
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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