Connecticut bridge is demolished after huge tanker truck fire that closed schools and caused major traffic on I-95 in Norwalk

Crews have begun demolishing a bridge in Connecticut after it was severely damaged by a huge tanker truck which caught fire following a crash. 

The tanker truck, carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline, crashed into a tractor-trailer on the I-95 in Norwalk near exit 15 at around 5am on Thursday.

It caused a massive fireball to erupt and engulf the overpass above and caused major traffic and school closures. 

There were no serious injuries despite the explosive collision but the bridge was heavily damaged.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation began demolishing the Fairfield Avenue Bridge on Friday morning to get the highway reopened. 

The tanker truck struck a tractor-trailer and then a passenger car before a huge fire erupted and spread on to the overpass. 

Local firefighters responded first, putting out the flaming vehicles, and both sides of the major east coast highway were shut down.

Crews started work to demolish the damaged bridge on Friday using excavators and debris was seen scattered all over 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’ll be working around the clock to remove the bridge so we can get the highway reopened.’

Connecticut Department of Transportation commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said: ‘This bridge is less than 10 years old … and the damage was pretty severe due to the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker ignited directly underneath the bridge structure. The steel did begin to overheat and warp.’

Governor Lamont declared a state of emergency in a bid for support from the federal government.

‘This emergency declaration will help expedite some of the resources needed for us 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 stay alert for updates.’

On Friday, around 13-miles of traffic was reported on the southbound side of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield as well as serious delays northbound. 

Norwalk Public Schools also made the decision to shut ‘due to ongoing traffic concerns and delays.’ 

While commuters were urged to work from home and avoid non-essential travel to ease congestion. 

‘We’ve scheduled some different staggering work times for people so that they can come in later, maybe go home earlier so we can reduce some of the traffic,’ Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said.

‘But we’re also asking a lot of our staff to work from home. So we feel that we’ll keep some of the traffic off the road.’  

There is an ongoing investigation into the crash.