A fiery fuel-tanker crash May 2 under a bridge on I-95 in Connecticut has closed a section of the busy highway.
UPDATE: I-95 Reopened 80 Hours After Conn. Bridge Destroyed in Fiery Tanker Crash
Demolition of the damaged overpass bridge at Exit 15 in Norwalk began May 3. The road section must also be repaved. The Connecticut Department of Transportation says it hopes to have the highway reopened by Monday morning rush hour May 6.
Video of the blaze is posted at the end of this story.
Governor Ted Lamont has declared a state of emergency to expedite resources to hire contractors to demolish the bridge and repave the interstate section. The crash occurred around 5:30 a.m. causing the closure in both directions of I-95 northbound at exit 14 and southbound at exit 15.
According to news reports, a tractor-trailer, a fuel truck and another vehicle collided and caught fire. The fuel tanker was under the Fairfield Avenue overpass when it burst into flames. No one was injured.
“The fire from this morning’s accident caused significant structural damage to an overpass on I-95 in Norwalk and it is not safe for traffic to use the road at this time,” Lamont said. “Structural engineers have determined that this overpass needs to be demolished and the road needs to be repaved. We are advising commuters to expect that this area of I-95 in Norwalk will remain closed at least through the weekend.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation is working with the CDOT on the response.
Below is a video of the blaze posted on X by Gov. Lamont:
