Arlen Specter: “a monstrous fire yesterday in Philadelphia has caused enormous damage to a long 2-mile stretch of Interstate 95. The…”

“a monstrous fire yesterday in Philadelphia has caused enormous damage to a long 2-mile stretch of Interstate 95. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports today that the eight-alarm blaze burned the bottom of I-95 as if it were a pot over an open flame, snapping support wires, charring concrete, and sending a column of sooty smoke south along the Delaware River. Early roadway damage estimates range from $2 to $5 million. I would like to discuss with the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee the availability of emergency funding to restore this important roadway, which is so critical to the economy of my State and the eastern seaboard and to the quality of life of millions of Pennsylvanians. I understand that title II of this bill provides $300 million for the emergency fund of the Federal Highway Administration to cover expenses arising from the January, 1996 flooding in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Northwest States and other disasters. Would my colleague agree that the substantial highway damage that occurred on Interstate 95 should be considered a disaster for the purposes of this legislation?”