Party honors construction workers who helped build I-95's temporary fix in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There was a big celebration in South Philadelphia on Sunday for the hundreds of construction workers who helped build Interstate 95's temporary fix.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and others showed their appreciation for those workers and their families at Xfinity Live and Live! Casino & Hotel.

The food provided at the event was catered by Northeast Philadelphia eateries, Sweet Lucy's SmokeHouse and Curran's Irish Inn, both heavily impacted by the collapse.

Thankful for the recognition, workers call the recovery a testament to teamwork.

RELATED: I-95 reopens to traffic with temporary lanes 12 days after collapse, tanker fire

The inaugural procession over this new stretch of road featured the Philadelphia Fire Department and all of the city's sports team mascots.

"We knew what we had to do. And the challenge, everything was in our corner, we got it done, we're number one. We are definitely number one," said Noel Quintana, who worked the 12-hour night shift alongside his son. "It was hectic but we just pushed ourselves, we kept going, we strived. We knew how important it was."

Sunday marked two weeks since a fiery tanker crash resulted in a section of the highway collapsing.

An ambitious goal, the temporary rebuild happened faster than anyone expected.

"What you did was you inspired a city, a region, a commonwealth and a country in showing them what hard work, what hard union work, could lead to," said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Contractors and union workers worked around the clock.

"No one quit, no one let down, whether it was rain, Father's Day, or family commitments. It was 100%," said the President of Buckley & Company, Inc.

The Phillies also honored first responders and construction workers before Sunday's game.

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"I'm proud of this civic pride we all took in this project, and it's something we cherish. It shows we can do big things in Pennsylvania," said Shapiro.

Work on the permanent bridge will begin this week.