Traffic snarled as workers begin removing bridge over I-95 following truck fire in Connecticut
Workers have begun removing a bridge over a Connecticut highway that was damaged in a fiery crash involving a gasoline tanker truck
NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Workers on Friday began removing a bridge over a Connecticut highway that was damaged in a fiery crash involving a gasoline tanker truck — a project expected to keep both sides of Interstate 95 closed through the weekend and extend a traffic nightmare on the major artery linking New England and New York.
Crews took down metal fencing on the span in Norwalk before a large excavator began demolishing the concrete sides of the structure. Heavy equipment was brought in overnight. Gov. Ned Lamont said the hope is to reopen the highway by Monday morning.
Traffic on both sides of the highway was being corralled from three travel lanes into exit-only lanes as drivers were detoured onto local streets around the crash site. Livestreams showed cars and trucks creeping slowly on the exit ramps. The state Department of Transportation said the travel time was over an hour for the 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the New York border to Route 7 in Norwalk on I-95 north.
The crash happened at around 5:30 a.m. Thursday on the southbound side of the highway. The tanker truck, carrying about 8,500 gallons (32,000 liters) of gas, burst into flames under the Fairfield Avenue bridge after a collision with a tractor trailer and a car. Officials said no one was seriously injured. The cause of the wreck remained under investigation.
