![]() MOSBRUCKER-GARZA: Well, folks are certainly grateful not to be stuck in traffic, but they're a little surprised that it happened so quickly. SUMMERS: And, Kristen, what's the reaction been like there from local residents? Every bit of material used to construct this facility has been rigorously tested and used in multiple applications for many years in Pennsylvania and across the nation from Maine to Arizona. MICHAEL CARROLL: The Department of Transportation has a lab that tests all the materials. Pennsylvania's secretary of transportation, Mike Carroll, says the recycled glass material is safe for heavy trucks. And it's just a temporary fix to get the traffic moving. MOSBRUCKER-GARZA: So officials say it's been tested. SUMMERS: I'm kind of fascinated by this recycled glass that you're talking about. And, of course, they livestreamed the whole process. ![]() It's been raining here for the past couple of days. And they even borrowed a massive jet dryer from a NASCAR raceway to keep moisture away as they painted the lines to kind of finish up. They used about 2,000 tons of this material. The only thing they trucked in was this lightweight, recycled glass material to put underneath the roadway to build temporary lanes. They tapped a company that was already working on I-95, so the crews and the equipment were already in the area. That way, he was able to greenlight about $7 million to kick start construction. MOSBRUCKER-GARZA: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro authorized a state of emergency. SUMMERS: I remember when this news first broke, there was an expectation that repairs could take months, perhaps even years. Even the Port of Philadelphia is nearby, and ships will bring in refrigerated fruit. ![]() In the area, there are lots of industrial sites and some manufacturers that typically rely on being able to hop on to I-95 quickly and deliver their goods. More than 160,000 vehicles a day typically travel along it, about 14% of which is for truck traffic. KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER-GARZA, BYLINE: Well, it's a major East Coast commercial traffic corridor, especially for trucks. And, Kristen, for people who aren't familiar, just how critical is this stretch of interstate in the region? WHYY's Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza joins us now. Just 12 days since a deadly gas truck fire destroyed a section of the critical East Coast commercial corridor, I-95, crews opened six lanes of traffic in Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, a temporary fix to get vehicles moving.
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