5 QUESTIONS WITH GOVERNOR SHAPIRO

5 QUESTIONS WITH GOVERNOR SHAPIRO

On January 17, 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro was sworn in as the 48th Governor of Pennsylvania. Giving his remarks from a podium created just for the occasion and given by the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Gov. Shapiro looked to a future that includes economic opportunity and a government that works for the people.

On June 11, 2023, an overpass section of I-95 collapsed, completely cutting off a main traffic artery that carried about 160,000 vehicles per day. While initial estimates predicted that the overpass would take several months to rebuild, Gov. Shapiro worked with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, PennDOT, and Philadelphia’s union construction industry to open up a temporary roadway in just 12 days, with six lanes of traffic opening on June 23, 2023.

Q: How did your Administration work in collaboration with state, local, and federal agencies to reopen I-95 in 12 days?

A: Throughout the I-95 rebuild, we moved quickly, thought creatively, and worked together – local, state, and federal officials coordinated closely with union workers and contractors – to make decisions collectively, ensure resources were available, and cut through red tape to rebuild and reopen I-95 in just 12 days.

This was an enormous team effort. Under the direction of Secretary Mike Carroll, PennDOT’s team of experts and engineers, the building trades and the contractors Buckley and Abbonizio got to work immediately. They demolished the damaged roadway and completely rebuilt I-95 in 12 days. They carried out this heroic effort within two weeks of the initial collapse – well ahead of experts' original predictions.

Shapiro worked with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, PennDOT, and Philadelphia’s union construction industry to open up a temporary roadway in just 12 days, with six lanes of traffic opening on June 23, 2023.

Within 6 days of the collapse, President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg traveled to Philadelphia to survey the site and offered full federal support. They made it clear from the very beginning they would provide all the resources necessary to complete the reconstruction as quickly as possible. In coordination with the federal support, I was able to sign a disaster proclamation to expedite the rebuilding of I-95 and cut through red tape, allowing the Commonwealth to immediately draw down federal funds and making $7 million of state funds immediately available for the reconstruction of the roadway. My administration also worked closely with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Shailen Bhatt and Pennsylvania Division Administrator Alicia Nolan.

The City of Philadelphia from the Mayor’s office, to the police, fire, water, emergency management teams was a crucial partner. Within minutes of crash, the Pennsylvania State Police were on the scene, diverting traffic to keep motorists safe and working with Philadelphia Police and local first responders. SEPTA added more trains and buses to give people more options for their commutes. This tremendous feat is all due to the incredible coordination with our local, state, and federal partners –and thanks to the hard-working men and women of the Philadelphia Building Trades who made this happen.

The rebuild of I-95 showed us that we can do big things – so long as we do them together. This job required all levels of government, the private sector, and organized labor to come to the table and make decisions together. We learned to trust one another, empowered strong leadership, and fostered a culture of collaboration.

Q: How did your Administration work with the Philadelphia Building Trades and local contractors throughout the process?

A: We could not have rebuilt I-95 so efficiently without union labor. The hardworking men and women of the Philadelphia Building Trades agreed to work 24/7 to get the highway reopen for Philadelphia and, frankly, the entire mid-Atlantic region. There were over 300 tradesmen and women who worked around the clock, through heat and rain, over Father’s Day Weekend to get the job done safely and with tremendous skill. In total, they worked over 7,680 hours to get this roadway reopened in record time. They were bought into this project from the start, and they showed that union labor knows how to get the job done.

Q: How did the I-95 rebuild highlight the importance of union labor in Pennsylvania?

A: The talent and success showcased by the Philadelphia Building Trades workers is just one example of why protecting the union way of life is crucial – both here in our Commonwealth and across the country. Union workers know how to get the job done safely, quickly, and the right way. It takes a strong partnership between organized labor and government to get big projects like this done, and we know what can be accomplished when we all work together.

Pennsylvania’s unions train workers to get the job done quickly, safely, and do it right. Through apprenticeship programs and workforce development, our unions are helping us address critical workforce shortages and get more people on the job so we can rebuild our infrastructure.

I am constantly inspired by the incredible work of our union men and women. We have an obligation to protect organized labor, ensure every worker is safe on the job, and invest in the next generation of tradesmen and women. We have some of the best, most skilled workers in the country here in the Commonwealth, and that’s all thanks to a strong union way of life.

Q: Your administration set up a 24/7 livestream to highlight the rebuild process. Why did your team decide to launch a livestream and why do you think it was so popular among viewers?

A: We felt the eyes of the nation on us as we rebuilt one of the most critical roadways in our country. This is a major thoroughfare – 160,000 cars and trucks everyday -- from folks trying to get to work, families going on vacation, trucks trying to get their product to the marketplace. And as we were going through this process, I thought it was critically important to show not only the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania but the nation what we refer to in the Governor’s office as the “GSD” attitude – that we get stuff done in Pennsylvania. So we set up the livestream so Pennsylvanians – the taxpayers funding this project – could be certain work was happening 24/7, and so they could track the progress in real time. Folks in Philadelphia developed a real unique sense of civic pride for the project – even watching the live stream at Xfinity Live while drinking beer and eating wings. I’m proud that we could foster some civic pride as we showcased what good government can do.

This was an all hands on deck effort and the Commonwealth came together in every way – from the Pocono Raceway who lent us their turbo jet dryer to help crews finish the job in the rain, to Philadelphia restaurants who delivered food to the work crews, and even our Philadelphia mascots and fire department who helped us celebrate the safe and efficient completion of our temporary roadway. The folks who tuned into the livestream each played a role in this process – they could feel real ownership watching our union workers and crews go above and beyond to get this job done.

Q: What other steps is your Administration taking to ensure that Pennsylvania construction projects can be completed in a timely manner?

A: As we rebuilt this critical stretch of I-95, we proved we can do big things again in this country, and we developed a playbook for getting major construction projects done safely and quickly. Following that playbook is more important now than ever before. We have a great opportunity thanks to federal dollars to fund the infrastructure and construction projects that will help us deliver real results.

The playbook we developed in Philadelphia includes four key steps.

First, construction projects require strong leadership. In Philadelphia, managers of every component of the I-95 project were empowered to be decisive, take ownership and make a call when necessary — not defer and delay to the often-circular bureaucracy.

Second, speed up the bureaucracy. We fast-tracked the permitting process to avoid delays while maintaining safety standards — relying on our experience with past permitting processes as well as the expertise of engineers and other professionals.

Third, encourage creativity and allow everyone to bring their ideas forward. We launched a 24/7 live stream so the public — the taxpayers funding our work — could track our progress and feel real ownership in the project.

When we needed to source backfill to rebuild the collapsed freeway, PennDOT engineers pointed us to a recycled glass product being used on a nearby project that is weather-resistant, lighter than traditional dirt and shown to be reliable. And it’s manufactured in Pennsylvania.

Fourth, work together. At every step of the I-95 project, local, state and federal officials coordinated closely with each other, and the collaborative approach extended to our private contractors and organized labor. Some politicians may criticize unions, but here in Pennsylvania, we saw a proud and diverse group of more than 300 members of the Philadelphia Building Trades work around-the-clock, through heat and rain and Father’s Day weekend, to get the job done safely and with tremendous skill.

I believe government can be a force for good – and this project demonstrated that we can do big things here in Pennsylvania when we work together. We can create positive change when government, our unions, and the private sector all come together – and the fact that this rebuild of I-95 could happen in just 12 days is living proof of that.