Pennsylvania governor asks Pocono Raceway for help on I-95 reconstruction

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) asked Pocono Raceway, a speedway in the Pocono Mountains that hosts NASCAR events, to provide its jet dryer to help ready the repaired portion of Interstate 95 through Philadelphia for its reopening.

Shapiro said in an interview with the Philadelphia-based Fox affiliate WTXF on Thursday that time is needed for the paving and striping process, so state officials reached out to Pocono Raceway to bring in their jet dryer that is used along the racetrack to dry the section of I-95.

“It has been all hands on deck. I said the other day it’s the ingenuity of [Delaware County] meets the grit of Philly. Let’s layer on top of that the ingenuity of Pocono Raceway and the amazing guys at NASCAR up there helping us out at 95,” he said.

Shapiro tweeted that 12 hours of dry weather is needed to complete the paving and striping.

Pocono Raceway confirmed in a tweet it is sending its jet dryer, saying it is on standby if needed to help dry the road so the painting of the lines will not be delayed.

“Thank you to all the men & women working around the clock to get I-95 reopened this weekend,” the tweet added.

The portion of I-95 was shut down earlier this month after a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline flipped over and caught on fire under an overpass in Philadelphia. The crash caused the northbound lanes to partially collapse, and the southbound lanes needed to be demolished because of the damage sustained.

Shapiro announced Tuesday that the portion of the highway would reopen this weekend after vowing crews would work around the clock to finish the repairs.

Shapiro also thanked Starr Restaurants for providing food to the workers repairing the highway, saying they’re “getting big things done because of [the workers’] around the clock efforts.”

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