CT officials applaud quick work of crews to reopen I-95. Overpass rebuild likely to take year

A bridge demolished in the wake of a fiery crash that kept Interstate 95 in Norwalk shut down for days is expected to take about a year to rebuild.

There is no firm timeline as to when construction on the Fairfield overpass will begin, as engineers are still working on a preliminary design that state officials are hoping will be done in the next few weeks, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said at a news conference on Monday.

Eucalitto was joined by Gov. Ned Lamont, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal outside a local fire department adjacent to the portion of the interstate that was closed for days following a crash involving a fuel tanker and two other vehicles last Thursday. Officials applauded the work of DOT and demolition crews that led to I-95 reopening Sunday morning, a full day ahead of schedule.

“Too often in government you have politicians who over promise and under deliver,” Lamont said, reflecting on the smooth-running traffic compared to what he said was “hell getting here” just under 80 hours earlier. “Not the people standing behind me here. These guys over delivered.”

CT’s I-95 in Norwalk reopens days after fiery crash that brought down a bridge

I-95 was shut down in both directions on Thursday around 5:30 a.m. when a passenger car was involved in a crash with a tractor-trailer and a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel. The crash led to a massive fire to the tanker and surrounding area, as about half of the tanker’s load spilled and went up in flames. The fire caused compromising damage to the overpass that could not be repaired.

The highway was jammed with traffic in the area in the following days as the interstate was shut down for all of Thursday and Friday as crews demolished the overpass and began removing the rubble ahead of the road needing to be repaved. The northbound side of I-95 reopened Saturday night and the southbound lanes soon followed the next morning after Lamont had initially said officials were hoping to have the highway fully operational by the Monday morning commute.

“This was an amazing work of art,” Lamont said. “This is a team I’m so proud of.”

According to Eucalitto, officials were fortunate that New York-based Yonkers Contracting Company, Inc. was working on a project nearby and was able to get equipment needed for the demolition to the I-95 site quickly.

“We’re absolutely amazed that this was repaired,” Rilling said. “And it was just remarkable that this was done in such a quick turnaround.”

“If Washington is looking for a model, come to Connecticut,” Blumenthal added. “A model of teamwork, a symphony of teamwork that went to work on this project over the weekend.”

Blumenthal said crews worked tirelessly over the weekend and went without much sleep to ensure the highway got back to operating as normal.

He also said officials are seeking emergency funds from the Federal Highway Administration to cover the costs of the demolition and repaving as well as the rebuilding of the overpass.

“The federal government ought to bear the major part of the burden here,” Blumenthal said. “And we’re going to demand that the federal highway relief fund fund this project so that Connecticut taxpayers don’t bear the burden.

“It may be $20 million, it may be more,” he added.

Eucalitto said motorists can expect periodic lane closures over the next year as construction of the overpass gets underway.

“But it definitely won’t be as disruptive as what we just encountered,” Eucalitto said. “That’s normal during construction projects. But it won’t be long term or too disruptive.”

On Monday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff welcomed more than a dozen DOT workers to the floor of the Connecticut State Senate to thank them in person for their work in the days following the devastating crash.

“We thought this would be a great opportunity to say thank you to our DOT workers who worked so hard over the weekend,” he said.

“It was a traffic nightmare for those of us who live in Norwalk,” Duff said, adding that the area usually sees more than 120,000 motorists per day.

Duff said many people around Connecticut were glued to a webcam over the weekend that showed crews working long hours to get I-95 back up and running.

“These are the faces of our employees who are behind me,” Duff said. “These are the ones who actually got this highway opened a day ahead of schedule.”

Duff read the name of each DOT worker present on the Senate floor, which was met with a round of applause.

“Seeing the extent of the damage early on Thursday, we didn’t think that there was any possibility that this roadway would be open by Monday, let alone Sunday or even partially on Saturday,” added state Sen. Christine Cohen. “So, hats off to all of you.”

State Sen. Tony Hwang took a moment to recognize all the businesses in the Norwalk area that suffered over the weekend because of the major traffic issues. He encouraged anyone who can to “get out there and support those businesses that lost during the weekend.”

“So, hats off to everyone, but also recognize this is not just a commuting inconvenience, it’s an economic lifeline that you’ve all restored,” Hwang said.

“What an extraordinary thing to do and it points out the work our state employees do in crisis situations and how much that can mean to us,” Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney said.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz added that DOT workers have shown time and time again that they are willing to “do whatever it takes for as long as it takes in such a short amount of time.”

“This is what leadership looks like,” she said. “We had a major transportation disaster and with all of your hard work, you were able to rectify it in record time.”