Crews have begun demolishing a bridge in Connecticut after it was severely damaged by a massive tanker truck that caught fire after crashing.
The tanker truck, carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline, crashed into a tractor-trailer on I-95 in Norwalk near exit 15 around 5 a.m. Thursday.
It caused a massive fireball that engulfed the overpass above and caused major traffic and school closures.
Despite the explosive collision, no serious injuries were reported, but the bridge was severely damaged.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation began demolishing the Fairfield Avenue Bridge Friday morning to reopen the highway.
Crews have begun demolishing a bridge in Connecticut after it was severely damaged by a massive tanker truck that caught fire after crashing
The tanker truck, carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline, crashed into a tractor-trailer on I-95 in Norwalk near exit 15 around 5 a.m. Thursday.
It caused a massive fireball that engulfed the overpass above and caused major traffic and school closures
The tanker hit a tractor-trailer and then a passenger car before a massive fire broke out and spread to the overpass.
Local firefighters responded first, extinguishing the burning vehicles, and both sides of the main East Coast highway were closed.
Crews began demolishing the damaged bridge Friday using excavators. Debris was scattered across the ground below.
“Crews from @CTDOTOfficial and our contractors began demolishing the Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95 in Norwalk this morning,” Governor Ned Lamont said.
“They will be working around the clock to remove the bridge so we can get the highway open again.”
Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said, “This bridge is less than a decade old… and the damage was quite severe due to the amount of gasoline inside the tanker that ignited directly beneath the bridge structure. The steel started to overheat and warp.”
On Friday, crews began demolishing the damaged bridge using excavators
Debris from the demolition was scattered on the ground below
The aftermath of the crash with the remains of the tanker truck pictured beneath the smoldering overpass
Governor Lamont declared a state of emergency in an effort to get support from the federal government.
“This emergency declaration will help expedite some of the resources needed to respond to this situation,” he said.
“I strongly encourage everyone to avoid this area for at least the next few days while the highway remains closed and to remain alert for updates.”
About 13 miles of traffic was reported Friday on the southbound side of Merritt Parkway in Fairfield, as well as severe northbound delays.
Norwalk Public Schools also made the decision to close “due to ongoing traffic concerns and delays.”
While commuters were urged to work from home and avoid non-essential travel to reduce congestion.
“We’ve scheduled some different, staggering work hours for people so they can come in later and maybe go home earlier so we can reduce some of the traffic,” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said.
‘But we also ask a lot of our staff to work from home. So we think we will keep some of the traffic off the road.”
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.