PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — South Philadelphia’s Xfinity Live! was packed Sunday afternoon, but not just with the usual crowd of sports fans.
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Gov. Josh Shapiro and state officials hosted a huge celebration for the contractors, first responders, union laborers and other workers who had a part in getting the interim lanes of I-95 up and running within 12 days of the highway’s collapse.
Xfinity Live! covered the cost of drinks and donated the space, and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce brought in food catered by Curran’s Irish Inn and Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse. Both businesses are located near the I-95 collapse site in Northeast Philly.
And, of course, the bar put the I-95 construction live feed on the big screen next to the Phillies game during the party.
FIRST RIDE OVER 95
Stephen Richardson, who works for PennDOT, was thankful for the recognition.
“Nothing but love for the city, and this is what we do,” he said. “We fight to get it [done] together.”
Shapiro has lauded that teamwork all week long. He said their speedy work serves as a model for the rest of the nation.
“I said over these 12 days that this is a team sport and this was our championship,” he said at Xfinity Live! “There is no team I’d rather be on the team with than everybody assembled here in this room.”
Remembering Nathaniel Moody
While their work should be applauded, it’s also not lost on them that one person was killed. On June 11, a tanker truck carrying gasoline crashed under I-95 and caught on fire, which caused a portion of the elevated highway to collapse. The driver, Nathaniel Moody, was killed.
“We lost a life here,” said Shapiro, “and we need to remember that life. We need to mourn that life. I’ve heard many people reference Nathan Moody and his family and send their prayers and their thoughts to them.”
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According to the governor’s office, Philadelphia’s professional sports teams — the Flyers, Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Union — have made a collective $50,000 donation to build a trust for Moody’s daughter.
“It shouldn’t be lost on anybody that the gentleman lost his life,” added state Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll. “I’m sad for his family and I pray for them. But the effort to rebuild this structure really is impressive.”
While temporary lanes have traffic flowing again, the governor’s office has not yet released a timeline for a complete, permanent structure.
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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified who covered the cost of drinks at the celebration. The story has been edited to reflect the correction.