I-95 Through Connecticut To Remain Closed For Days After Fiery Crash, Governor Advises
DEBARYLIFE – According to state officials, a fuel truck incident that resulted in a massive vehicle fire and damage to an overpass would cause both sides of Interstate 95, which passes through southern Connecticut, to remain blocked for many days.
According to Governor Ned Lamont (D) during a press conference, the Norwalk, Connecticut, collision happened at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday when a fuel truck, vehicle, and tractor-trailer crashed on the interstate, causing the fuel tanker to burst into flames.
The heat from the burning fuel destroyed the Fairfield Avenue bridge, causing the roadway to close in both directions, though no major injuries or fatalities were recorded, according to Lamont.
Pictures and videos from the scene show the tanker destroyed by fire, which is also encroaching on the roadway and extending upward toward the bridge.
Deconstruction on the bridge, according to Lamont, will start at three in the morning on Friday since it is now compromised. Before personnel could start repaving the roads, he predicted that the procedure would take a day or a little more.
According to Lamont, workers want to have both sides of traffic open again by Monday morning.
According to the governor, he filed an emergency declaration on Thursday afternoon and intends to receive funding from the federal government to repair the bridge.
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As for the damage, Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto stated, “This bridge is less than ten years old and, you know, but the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker ignited directly underneath the bridge structure.” “The warping and overheating of the steel did occur.”
According to The Associated Press, the tanker was carrying approximately 8,500 gallons when it crashed.
Although there was still heavy traffic after the collision, alerts via text were sent to transportation businesses and the people of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey to find alternate routes.
The AP said that throughout the morning rush hour, traffic on I-95 was backed up for dozens of miles, which caused bottlenecks on other nearby roadways.
For individuals wishing to travel to Hartford or New York, additional rail services will be offered, according to Lamont.
He advised taking the train and avoiding the autos if they couldn’t stay at home.
The collision occurred just over a year after a fuel tanker collided with an automobile on the Gold Star Bridge, which connects New London and Groton, Connecticut. The truck caught fire. The fuel tanker driver lost his life, and the highway was momentarily closed on both sides.