Philly fixed a melted interstate in 12 days. Why does everything else take so long?

On a chilly Sunday morning in June of 2023, a gasoline tanker truck lost control on an exit ramp, crashed, and erupted into flames near a major interstate. Flames engulfed miles of the East Coast's most vital road, crippling a path used daily by countless vehicles. Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll informed Governor Josh Shapiro that reopening the highway would require at least six weeks, but if all went well, it might take longer.

The governor and experts alike anticipated this reconstruction would turn into a sluggish, drawn-out process, leaving the Philadelphia corridor, frequented by 160,000 cars, stranded. However, the team's approach to the challenge proved to be a remarkable, if unconventional, success.

On the second day, Governor Shapiro declared a disaster, liberating millions of dollars in funds and waiving normal bidding and contracting procedures. By the sixth day, demolition work was finished, and residents around Philadelphia began tuning in to a continuous live broadcast of the construction site. Initially, officials thought the fix would take months, but this timeline was quickly reduced to weeks, eventually being trimmed to days.

On the 12th day, crews finally smoothed the final layer of asphalt, allowing the interstate to reopen to traffic less than two weeks after the catastrophic collapse.

This swift recovery has been hailed as a model of efficiency, showcasing what's achievable when policymakers prioritize rapid action and flexibility. But why, three years later, does it often take years or even decades to complete seemingly smaller projects? The answer lies in the rules that govern construction, which are often too rigid and time-consuming.

While not every project can be completed in a matter of days like I-95, it's important for the US to learn when to bend these rules and when to maintain their strict adherence.