Crews on Friday started demolishing the Connecticut bridge that was severely damaged when a gas-filled tanker truck crashed on Interstate 95 — causing “horrendous” delays and even closing schools.
Workers arrived at the Fairfield Avenue overpass around 3 a.m. Friday, a day after the fiery crash — with a 13-mile backup reported on the southbound side of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield, and serious delays also reported northbound and on surrounding routes.
The damaged section of the I-95 is not expected to re-open until Monday the earliest following the shocking Thursday morning crash in which a tanker truck packed with 8,500 gallons of gas slammed into a tractor-trailer and a car before bursting into a fireball.
Norwalk Public Schools even closed Friday “due to ongoing traffic concerns and delays.”
People were encouraged to work from home and avoid non-essential travel to ease travel around the interstate, a major East Coast artery that links New York and New England.
“We’ve scheduled some different staggering work times for people so that they can come in later, maybe go home earlier so we can reduce some of the traffic,” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said.
“But we’re also asking a lot of our staff to work from home. So we feel that we’ll keep some of the traffic off the road.”
The interstate is not expected to reopen until Monday morning at the earliest.
“The heat from the burning fuel compromised some of the bridge, so that bridge is going to have to come down and that demolition is going to start first thing [Friday] morning,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.
Lamont said no one was seriously hurt and urged drivers to stay away from the area, noting “horrendous” traffic which was backed up for dozens of miles during the morning rush.
Secondary roads were also jammed — including the Merritt Parkway, which is inaccessible to trucks because its underpasses are too low.
Traffic delays were expected through the weekend.
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto added, “This bridge is less than 10 years old … and the damage was pretty severe due to the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker ignited directly underneath the bridge structure. The steel did begin to overheat and warp.”
Following the crash, Lamont declared a state of emergency in a bid to prompt federal authorities to reimburse the state for the highway repairs.
“This emergency declaration will help expedite some of the resources needed for us to respond to this situation. I strongly encourage everyone to avoid this area for at least the next few days while the highway remains closed and to stay alert for updates,” Lamont said in a release.
The investigation remains ongoing.
