Crews began demolishing a Connecticut highway bridge on Friday following a fuel truck explosion that caused extensive damage to both the bridge and the highway.
The incident occurred on Interstate 95 in Norwalk early Thursday when a fuel truck collided with a tractor-trailer and another vehicle, resulting in a fiery explosion under the Fairfield Avenue overpass. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported, but the fire caused significant damage to the bridge, necessitating its removal and replacement.
The affected section of I-95 is expected to remain closed until Monday, causing major traffic delays. A 13-mile backup was reported on the southbound side of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield on Friday. There were also significant delays on local streets in Norwalk, Westport, Darien, Stamford, and other surrounding towns.
Governor Ned Lamont expressed hope that travel lanes would be reopened in time for Monday's morning rush-hour commute, but replacing the overpass could take up to a year.
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said that after the bridge is demolished, workers will clear the debris and resurface the roadway. "Quite a lot of work has been done in just the past few hours," Eucalitto said.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling acknowledged the inconvenience, stating, "It's going to be an inconvenience that we'll have to deal with."
In response, Norwalk Public Schools remained closed on Friday, with traffic officials advising commuters along that stretch of I-95 to work from home if feasible.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Friday that it would increase train capacity on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line in anticipation of an increase in ridership. "With people expected to leave their cars at home and use public transit on Monday morning, Metro-North will add cars to its regularly scheduled trains to provide extra capacity," MTA said in a statement.
Governor Lamont declared a state of emergency to expedite federal reimbursement for highway repairs. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., affirmed that the federal government would cover the repair costs and stated that Connecticut senators would seek at least $20 million from the Federal Highway Administration for emergency relief. "The money is there, it doesn't have to be appropriated, it doesn't have to be authorized. There is Federal Highway Administration money there for emergency relief designed to meet exactly this need," Blumenthal explained.