21-year-old woman killed when a drunk driver going the wrong way on I-95 crashed head-on into her vehicle, police said

A drunk driver killed a 21-year-old woman early Sunday morning by driving the wrong way on Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia and crashing head-on into her vehicle, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

State police said they were dispatched to I-95 for a vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lanes at 2:41 a.m. By the time officers arrived, the driver heading southbound had crashed into the woman’s car, near Packer Avenue and Front Street, police said.

Police determined that the driver going the wrong way was under the influence of alcohol. Police did not release his name but said he is 44.

He was transported to a local hospital for injuries from the crash, according to the police report, and charges are being prepared by the state police Criminal Investigation Unit for Philadelphia.

Police also did not release the identity of the woman.

I-95 northbound was closed between the exits for the Walt Whitman Bridge and Columbus Boulevard Sunday morning for several hours following the crash.

It was the latest disruption on the heavily traveled road in Philadelphia.

A stretch of I-95 northbound in Port Richmond was shut down for five days earlier this month after a tractor-trailer struck an overhead Conrail bridge. The closure led to major traffic delays in both directions, and also impacted trash collection because many trucks use the route to transport materials to disposal and recycling centers.

Less than a year earlier, part of the highway collapsed due to a tanker truck catching fire in Northeast Philadelphia. The repair was slated to take months, but was instead completed in 12 days. The project caused a media flurry after Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the construction work would be live-streamed 24/7.