Traffic delays heavy as I-95 bridge demolition begins in Connecticut

The closure of Interstate 95 (pictured in 2007) because of a fiery crash on Thursday has caused major delays, with 13-mile backups reported Friday

May 3 (UPI) — Crews on Friday began demolishing a bridge over a major Connecticut highway after a fuel truck explosion caused major damage to the bridge and the highway.

Interstate 95 in Norwalk has been closed since early Thursday morning when a fuel truck collided with a tractor-trailer and another vehicle, causing the fuel truck to burst into flames.

The fiery crash happened under the Fairfield Avenue overpass. No one was injured in the crash, but the flames caused extensive damage to the bridge, and it needs to be taken down and replaced.

The damaged section of I-95 is expected to remain closed until Monday. The closure has caused major delays, with a 13-mile backup reported Friday on the southbound side of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield.

There also were massive delays on local streets in Norwalk, Westport, Darien, Stamford and other surrounding towns.

Gov. Ned Lamont said crews hope to have the travel lanes open by Monday’s morning rush-hour commute.

While the highway is expected to reopen soon, replacing the overpass could take a year.

Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto on Friday said after the bridge is demolished, workers will remove the debris and resurface the roadway.

“Quite a lot of work has been done in just the past few hours,” Eucalitto said.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said the situation is “going to be an inconvenience that we’ll going to have to deal with.”

Norwalk Public Schools were closed Friday. Traffic officials urged people who commute along that stretch of I-95 to work from home if possible.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday announced it will increase train capacity on Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line to handle a predicted increase in ridership.

“With people expected to leave the car home and use public transit on Monday morning, Metro-North will add cars to its regularly scheduled trains to provide extra capacity,” MTA said in a statement. “This will provide customers with the most comfortable ride to and from stations along the New Haven Line.”

Lamont has declared a state of emergency to prompt federal authorities to reimburse the state for highway repairs.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the federal government will bear the cost of repairs and that his fellow Connecticut senators will demand at least $20 million from the Federal Highway Administration.

“The money is there, it doesn’t have to be appropriated, it doesn’t have to be authorized. There is Federal Highway Administration money there for emergency relief designed to meet exactly this need,” Blumenthal said.