A tanker crash and fire on Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut, damaged a bridge and closed the highway near the accident site until further notice.
The three-vehicle crash involving the fuel tanker happened at 5:30 a.m. Thursday underneath the Fairfield Avenue bridge.
The tanker swerved to avoid a collision after a car cut off a tractor-trailer going southbound and crashed, ripping open its back portion. The spilled fuel ignited, according to news site CT Insider.
The fire melted and warped the metal portions of the overpass. There were no reported injuries.
However, the overpass isn’t safe for vehicles and will need to be demolished and repaved, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. He declared a state of emergency and said I-95 in Norwalk will be closed at least through the weekend.
The highway is closed northbound at exit 14 and closed southbound at 15, per the CTroads traveler information service. Commercial vehicles are advised to use Interstate 84 to get through Connecticut.
Crews are also replacing wires on the bridge and recovering around 3,000 gallons of gasoline still in the tanker.
In a post on X, the Connecticut Department of Transportation said it hopes to have I-95 reopened for traffic by Monday morning.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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