Tire Fire Damages, Shuts Major Highway
Thousands of old tires blazed beneath an elevated section of Interstate 95 on Wednesday, damaging the highway and forcing its closure during morning rush hour.
State Transportation Department engineers said the heat destroyed concrete underneath the road, exposing and weakening its steel support beams, and it must remain closed until Monday.
The highway is one of only two major north-south highways in the nation’s fifth-largest city, and traffic forced onto narrow city streets created widespread gridlock. Vehicles backed up 11 miles on one main road.
Firefighters used the highway as a platform to battle the flames.
The fire, at a tire recycling operation repeatedly cited for alleged safety violations, was ruled an arson. A huge cloud of thick, black smoke was visible from 30 miles away.
The interstate will remain closed until Monday for temporary repairs, said a Transportation Department spokeswoman. Then it will remain open during permanent repairs, which could take half a year, she said.
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