As yet one more wake-up call about the nation's crumbling infrastructure, the shutdown of I-95 this week thankfully was about as jarring as hitting a good-size pothole.
The emergency closure Monday night no doubt snarled the morning and evening rush hours for thousands of Philadelphia-area commuters and truckers.
But quick and decisive action by PennDot officials averted a fate far worse than any motorist's frayed nerves - the potential for a deadly collapse of an elevated section of the heavily traveled highway.
The concrete pier that was weakened by an eight-foot gash supports a wide span of the highway that runs over a city neighborhood. Had the pier given way at almost any time of the day or night, vehicles could have taken a deadly plunge.
An observant structural engineer, PennDot contractor Peter Kim, spied the cracked column while on his lunch hour grabbing a sandwich in Port Richmond. Not only did Kim realize the viaduct had deteriorated from earlier inspections, but he had the presence of mind to alert PennDot officials immediately. (On top of the well-earned praise heaped upon Kim by state officials, somebody ought to buy the guy a fancier lunch by way of saying thanks.)
In mounting repairs on a 24-hour basis so that the two-mile stretch of highway between Allegheny and Girard Avenues could be reopened early yesterday, PennDot executed the second impressive act in this drama.
The massive bridge towers and girders used to buttress the highway had to be brought in from around the region, with crews on a tight timetable working through wet, windy and, at times, chilly weather.
Instead of a tragedy on the scale of the fatal Minneapolis bridge disaster last summer, Pennsylvania officials can celebrate the fact that they're left only with an object lesson on the demands of staying on top of highway repairs.
The challenge is largely financial, of course. So Gov. Rendell was right to call for accelerated state and federal funding of infrastructure repairs.
It's welcome news that PennDot is supposed to get $450 million more this year and $500 million more in 2009 for road and bridge repairs under Act 44, which also shored up transit funding. The money is slated to come from increased tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, tolls on I-80, and a slice of the revenue from the sales tax.
In addition, Rendell recently called for state lawmakers to fund a "Rebuilding Pennsylvania" plan that would fast-track $200 million for bridge repairs and an additional $55 million for other infrastructure needs. Hard to argue with such stewardship.
Meanwhile, the federal government needs to pull more weight in helping states cope. The American Society of Civil Engineers sees a $1.6 trillion infrastructure need over five years.
Iraq war or no, the interstate system should be a priority. Congress, for its part, approves too many highway pet projects like the so-called bridge to nowhere in Alaska, rather than infrastructure maintenance.
The sheer scope of repairs facing a region and state with hundreds of aging bridges and elevated highways means the I-95 shutdown probably won't be the last.