Days will pass before both lanes of Interstate 95 in southern Connecticut are reopened, according to state officials, following a fuel truck-related collision that resulted in a significant vehicle fire and damage to an overpass.
Governor Ned Lamont (D) stated at a press conference that the petrol tanker erupted into flames as a result of a fuel truck, vehicle, and tractor trailer colliding on the interstate near Norwalk, Connecticut, at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.
According to Lamont, the heat from the burning fuel destroyed the Fairfield Avenue bridge, causing the roadway to close in both directions but with no significant injuries or fatalities recorded.
Photos and videos captured at the scene reveal the tanker completely destroyed by fire, which is also consuming the pavement and ascending toward the bridge.
According to Lamont, the bridge is currently unstable and needs to be demolished. On Friday, work is scheduled to start at 3 a.m. It will take a day or so, he said, for the procedure to be completed before personnel can start repaving the roads.
By Monday morning, workers want to have both sides of traffic open again, according to Lamont.
The governor stated that he intends to receive federal funding for the bridge replacement and that he submitted an emergency declaration on Thursday afternoon.
“This bridge is less than 10 years old and, you know, but the damage was pretty severe due to the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker ignited directly underneath the bridge structure,” Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto stated. “The steel did begin to overheat and warp.”
Even though there was still a lot of traffic after the collision, trucking businesses and individuals in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey received SMS alerts advising them to find other routes.
Read More:Â Emergency Alert: Texas Braces for Floods, Residents Urged to Evacuate
Approximately 8,500 gallons were aboard the tanker when it crashed. During the morning rush hour, traffic on I-95 was backed up for dozens of miles, which caused bottlenecks on other nearby routes.
According to Lamont, additional rail services will be offered for anyone wishing to travel to Hartford or New York.
“My recommendation is if you can’t stay home, take the train, stay away from the cars,” he stated.
The collision occurred on the Gold Star Bridge, which connects New London and Groton, Connecticut, less than a year after a fuel truck collided with an automobile and caught fire. Both sides of the roadway were momentarily closed off after the gasoline tanker driver was killed.
