NORWALK, Connecticut — Gov. Ned Lamont and the CT DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto announced that Interstate 95 in Norwalk was fully opened on Sunday.
The highway was closed both ways for three days following a crash that ignited an oil tanker Thursday morning. The following fire damaged the Fairfield Avenue Bridge so severely that it had to be dismantled due to structural issues.
Lamont said that CT DOT and its contractors managed to reopen the highway in under 80 hours.
“It takes a village, and from the response from local and state police and fire departments to the environmental cleanup by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the demolition and rebuilding by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and contractors, everyone did their part. I am impressed by these efforts and thankful for the dedication, skill, and labor of everyone who has been involved," Lamont said.
The work to reopen both sides of I-95 involved demolishing the Fairfield Avenue overpass, including removing tons of concrete, steel, and other debris from the road. It also involved sweeping the road, milling, paving, and restriping the pavement markings.
Eucalitto said that the work was a team effort and that he "couldn't thank enough" the crews, contractors, and other workers who spent the weekend working to reopen the highway.
"While the roadway is open, the work continues as we are planning how and when the Fairfield Avenue Bridge will be replaced," Eucalitto said.
Lamont said that while crews worked to reopen the highway, CT DOT engineers worked through the weekend to develop preliminary replacement plans for the Fairfield Avenue Bridge. According to the governor, those initial designs are expected to be completed within the next two weeks.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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