![]() ![]() Schofer, a retired professor of civil and environmental engineering from Northwestern University, said a big challenge for PennDOT in quickly replacing the bridge could be getting heavy-duty steel beams of a hundred feet or more.Įnsuring the precise length necessary - either by finding the construction records or taking measurements - and finding a fabricator to make them could take time, he said. Shapiro, a Democrat, said the complete rebuild of I-95 would take “some number of months,” and in the meantime officials were looking at “interim solutions to reconnect I-95 and get traffic through the area.” PennDOT rated the 104-foot span as in “good” condition earlier this year, with another inspection set for 2025. The collapsed section of I-95 was part of a $212 million reconstruction project that wrapped up four years ago, state Transportation Department spokesman Brad Rudolph said. It could have been coated in a fire-retarding paint, but even then the beams could have been weakened.Īmong many transportation changes across the region, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said it was operating three extra morning and late afternoon trains on its Trenton, New Jersey, line, and adding capacity to regularly scheduled lines during peak hours following the collapse. ![]() Bridges like the one that collapsed don’t typically have fire protection, like concrete casing, he added. High heat from the fire or the impact of an explosion could have weakened the steel beams supporting the overpass, according to Drexel University structural engineering Professor Abi Aghayere. He said a flight he took over the area showed “just remarkable devastation.” Shapiro signed a disaster declaration Monday, saying it gives state agencies the ability to skip normal bidding-and-contracting requirements so the span can be repaired faster. Officials said they had been in contact with the trucking company, but they did not identify it.Ĭarroll said the highway span was 10 to 12 years old, had appeared sound, and officials blamed the damage on the heat of the fire, which took about an hour to control. State police don’t know if the driver was speeding, and no other vehicle has been found. The damaged I-95 segment carries about 160,000 vehicles daily, Carroll said. They are expected to make a preliminary report within weeks. Federal investigators have been collecting information about the truck and talking with the company and emergency responders in order to understand the sequence of events. The automaker is likely to face harsh criticism on its climate change commitments at a shareholders’ meeting in Toyota city, central Japan, set for Wednesday.The National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene Sunday night. Toyota President Koji Sato has said the company must play catchup after falling behind in the EV sector. A hybrid recharges as the car runs, but it also has a gasoline engine in addition to an electric motor. That’s one of the main reasons Toyota has long insisted that hybrids are a better solution. “With the evolution of the vehicle’s operating system, the next-generation battery EV will also enable customization of the ‘driving feel,’ with a focus on acceleration, turning and stopping,” it said.ĮV owners usually have charging stations in their homes and keep their cars plugged in overnight to recharge. It plans to deliver 1.5 million EVs in 2026 by expanding its battery EV lineup and developing technology. ![]() ![]() Charging time, one of the main drawbacks of electric vehicles, will get shortened to 10 minutes or less, the company said in a statement. aims for a commercial solid-state battery as soon as 2027. TOKYO (AP) - Toyota plans to make an all solid-state battery as part of its ambitious plans for battery electric vehicles, the company said Tuesday, amid mounting criticism Japan’s top automaker needs to do more to fight climate change. ![]()
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