Failures
Fuel Truck Crash Destroys I-95 Overpass in Connecticut
The section of highway in Norwalk, Conn. will be closed at least until May 6 while the overpass is dismantled
A fuel truck crashed and exploded on May 2, destroying an I-95 overpass in Norwalk, Conn.
Photo courtesy Norwalk, Conn. Police Dept.
A fuel truck crash and explosion on Interstate-95 in Norwalk, Conn., destroyed an overpass bridge early in the morning of May 2. No fatalities occurred in the incident, which snarled traffic throughout the day. The affected section of the highway will likely remain closed until May 6 as crews dismantle the overpass’s charred remains, according to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
“Despite the dramatic scene, thankfully everyone involved is safe,” Lamont posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
A firefighter was taken to Norwalk Hospital with a leg injury, according to officials, following a crash eerily similar to an accident that killed a truck driver and collapsed an overpass on I-95 near Philadelphia almost a year ago.
The “chain-reaction crash” at 5:30 a.m. on May 2 happened after a car swerved in front of a tractor-trailer as a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of petroleum traveling on I-95 approached the Fairfield Avenue overpass, according to local officials.
Extinguished in approximately an hour, the fire significantly damaged gas, phone and cable utility lines running underneath the overpass, according to media reports.
"We had every engine in the city here," Norwalk Fire Dept. Deputy Chief Stephen Shay told reporters. "As soon as they came we got foam flowing. The fire went out quickly. It just took a while to get foam on the fire."
A hazardous materials investigation is underway.
Crews will begin dismantling the overpass bridge as soon as possible in hopes of reopening this section of I-95, which normally carries 160,000 vehicles per day, according to the governor's office.
The bridge is less than 10 years old, an official from the Connecticut Dept. of Transportation said at a news conference.
“It ignited directly underneath the bridge structure,” the official said. “The seal did begin to overheat and warp. Unfortunately it's not able to be safely reopened in either direction underneath that bridge."
