A section of Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut has reopened following a collision and fire Thursday, May 2 that damaged an overpass.
The northbound lane reopened Saturday and the southbound lane — where the collision occurred — reopened Sunday. The removal of the heavily damaged overpass and repairs to the I-95 road surface took just 80 hours, according to state officials.
According to a statement from Gov. Ned Lamont, work involved demolishing the Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95; removing tons of concrete, steel, and debris from the roadway; sweeping the road; milling; paving; and restriping pavement markings.
“It is truly amazing that in less than 80 hours from that fiery crash Thursday that shut down traffic in both directions, the highway again is fully open,” Lamont said Sunday, May 5. “It takes a village, and from the response from local and state police and fire departments to the environmental cleanup by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the demolition and rebuilding by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and contractors, everyone did their part. I am impressed by these efforts and thankful for the dedication, skill, and labor of everyone who has been involved.”
CTDOT engineers worked through the weekend to develop preliminary replacement plans of the Fairfield Avenue Bridge, according to a statement from Lamont.Those initial designs are expected to be completed within the next two weeks.
The collision that caused the fire happened early Thursday morning, when a car swerved in front of a truck that was pulling a flatbed trailer near the Fairfield Avenue overpass just past exit 15 south. The truck then swerved to avoid the car and hit the back of a fuel tanker, which burst into flames under the overpass and spilled some of its cargo of gasoline onto the highway.
No serious injuries were reported.
This section of I-95 carries some 160,000 vehicles a day. The crash and closing of the highway caused extensive traffic backups, causing the local school district to cancel classes. Trucking companies were urged to use I-84 and I-87.
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