Construction worker becomes TikTok sensation while rebuilding damaged part of I-95 in Philadelphia

The simple 8-second clip has been viewed almost 300K times on TikTok

ByChristie Ileto WPVI logo
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Worker becomes TikTok sensation during I-95 rebuild in Philly
The simple 8-second clip has been viewed almost 300,000 times on TikTok, with tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

PHILADELPHIA -- Crews have been working around the clock to get I-95 back up and moving after a collapse less than two weeks ago.

One worker has become a TikTok sensation for his daily updates.

"They're saying we can't do this in three days Charise," said Raul Figueroa on the social media platform.

He was referring to the speedy process to construct temporary lanes on the interstate.

The simple 8-second clip has been viewed almost 300,000 times on TikTok, with tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. Many people were cheering on both him and his colleagues.

"I was surprised because I did it to have a little bit of fun, and as that went on I couldn't believe it," he said.

Figueroa was part of the overnight crew of workers building around the clock to get the temporary lanes ready for traffic. The lanes reopened Friday and ahead of schedule.

Alex Pearlman's video on the morning I-95 collapsed racked up two million views, including clicks from the governor and the President of the United States.

He documented the ordeal as they braved elements all week.

"My squad is amazing!" said Figueroa

"We got Local 57, 556, 158, 592, you have all the locals out here building this together as a family, getting the bridge built up so everyone can get their lives back together," he added.

SEE ALSO: 'The road's falling': Drivers capture heavy flames before I-95 collapse in Philadelphia