NORWALK, Conn. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut fully reopened to traffic in both directions at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, less than 80 hours after a tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames during a three-vehicle crash, damaging an overpass bridge and causing a complete shutdown.
The 5:30 a.m. crash on Thursday morning did not cause any serious injuries, but the shut down snarled traffic in lower Fairfield County and around Connecticut.
Some relief was given to the East Coast’s main north-south highway when I-95’s northbound side was opened Saturday night, but Sunday morning’s opening surpassed initial expectations that the entire interstate wouldn’t resume normal access until Monday morning.
Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said that the DOT’s contractors’ work included demolishing the damaged Fairfield Avenue Bridge; removing tons of concrete, steel and debris from the roadway; sweeping; milling and paving; and restriping pavement markings.
“This has been a team effort, and I can’t thank enough the CTDOT crews, contractors, and workers who spent the weekend ensuring the public could resume traveling on I-95 as soon as possible,” Commissioner Eucalitto said.
CTDOT engineers worked over the weekend to develop preliminary plans for the replacement of the Fairfield Avenue Bridge. Designs are expected to be completed in the next two weeks, officials said.
“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,” Lamont said.
For Connecticut traffic alerts and roadway updates, government officials encourage the use of CTroads.org.