CT governor: Northbound lanes of I-95 in Norwalk expected to reopen by 8 p.m. Saturday
The Connecticut Department of Transportation estimates that northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Norwalk closed by a fiery crash will reopen to vehicles by 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
Lamont and Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said Saturday that DOT crews and contractors “stayed at the site of the Fairfield Avenue Bridge throughout Friday night and continued working through the early hours of Saturday morning when additional equipment needed to remove the damaged bridge arrived.”
The crews completed the bridge demolition by 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The fiery crash on Thursday involving a tractor-trailer and a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel led to a massive fire left both sides of Interstate 95 in Norwalk shut down as crews assessed and repaired the damage the blaze caused to utilities and a bridge in the area.
The crews then began cleaning up “all the debris and materials from the bridge off the highway. They also began making necessary repairs to the highway to ensure that it is safe for vehicular traffic,” Lamont said in a statement Saturday night.
CT officials: I-95 shut down for extended period following fiery crash; bridge has to ‘come down’
“Crews are making great progress in Norwalk and I am encouraged that we’ll have one side of I-95 open later tonight,” Lamont said, in an emailed statement. “Completely removing that bridge in less than 36 hours is an impressive feat and is credit to the hard work and dedication of the contractors and Connecticut Department of Transportation crews, who are pushing to get the entire highway fully reopened in both directions by Monday morning.”
The statement noted that southbound lanes of I-95 will remain closed to vehicles through the day on Sunday, May 5, “because the pavement on this side of the highway was so damaged from the Thursday morning crash that those lanes need to be milled and repaved.”
Eucalitto said, “I continue to be thankful to the CTDOT crews and contractors who are working as hard as they can to get this highway reopened.”
“They made great progress today and I remain optimistic that we will meet our Monday morning deadline,” Eucalitto said. “I ask the public to remain patient with the ongoing traffic congestion and to continue using alternate routes and public transportation throughout the weekend.”
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling praised the response from the Norwalk Fire Department, Norwalk Police Department, and the state, including Lamont’s office, the DOT, the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and state police.
“The fact that there were no injuries from the accident and that crews are working incredibly quickly to remove the bridge so we can reopen I-95 in both directions as soon as possible is a testament to Governor Lamont’s leadership and the high level of collaboration between each agency and level of government,” Rilling said. “I also want to thank our Norwalk residents and business community for their patience, as I know these temporary closures have been a complete inconvenience to their lives.”
A live video feed of the work can be seen at https://share.earthcam.net/CTDOTNorwalkbridge.
The statement noted that drivers are asked to remain patient and follow all posted signs and that commercial vehicles are asked to continue using alternate routes through Fairfield County until further notice.