Demolition began Friday on an Interstate 95 overpass in Norwalk that was damaged in a fiery crash along I-95 on Thursday morning. Both sides of the highway have been closed since the crash happened and are expected to remain closed until at least Monday morning.
I-95 has been closed since about 5:30 a.m. Thursday after a crash involving a tractor-trailer, a fuel truck and another vehicle. The vehicles burst into flames.
The truck, which was hauling gasoline, caught fire under the Fairfield Avenue overpass. While the damage is extensive, no one was injured in the crash and fire.
Gov. Lamont said the heat from the fire damaged the overpass and the bridge needs to be taken down.
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That work started at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning and could take 24 hours or more to complete. During a news conference on Friday afternoon, Lamont urged people to stay away from the area for another 72 hours.
The Department of Transportation said excavators, dump trucks, and demolition shears will be used to break up the bridge deck, cut the support steel into smaller pieces, and remove the structural components.
Once the bridge is removed, DOT will mill and pave sections of I-95.
Repaving will take a couple of days.
They hope to have the travel lanes open by Monday’s morning rush-hour commute, Lamont said.
Metro-North is adding service over the weekend and on Monday because of the highway closure.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said two additional trains will operate on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, on the New Haven Line, from New Haven to Grand Central Terminal at 8:29 a.m. and 9:26 a.m. and from Grand Central Terminal to New Haven at 4:53 p.m. and 6:59 p.m.
Additional cars will be added to several New Haven Line trains to increase passenger-carrying capacity as well.
MTA said Station Ambassadors will be available to assist customers in New Haven on both Saturday and Sunday.
Metro-North is also laying out plans for to get fans to the Yankees games over the weekend.
The Yankees will take on the Detroit Tigers on Friday at 7:05 p.m., Saturday at 1:05 p.m., and Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
Metro-North's Yankee Clipper trains and shuttle trains between Grand Central Terminal, Harlem-125th Street, and Yankees-E 153rd Street stations will operate on their usual game-day schedules.
For all games, Metro-North also adds a stop at Yankees-E 153rd Street station to many Hudson Line express and local trains to provide more options for fans traveling to and from the game.
On Monday morning, Metro-North will add cars to its regularly scheduled trains to provide extra capacity.
Station ambassadors will be available at New Haven, Bridgeport, South Norwalk and Stamford stations from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
MTA said Metro-North is working closely with the Connecticut Department of Transportation about the repairs on I-95 and will make schedule adjustments as needed until all lanes are fully reopened.
Photos: Fiery crash closes I-95 in Norwalk
Lamont has declared a state of emergency in response to the crash and closure and hopes the emergency declaration will lead to federal authorities reimbursing the state for the highway repairs.
"This emergency declaration will help expedite some of the resources needed for us to respond to this situation. 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," Lamont said in a release.
Gov. Lamont and traffic officials are urging people not to drive in the area and for those who commute along that stretch of I-95 to work from home if possible.
On Friday morning, the state Department of Transportation is reporting 13 miles of backup on the southbound side of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield.
Norwalk Public Schools are closed on Friday, but the school district will allow athletic games, drama performances and proms to go on. All practices are canceled.
Darien schools have a two-hour delay on Friday because of the I-95 closure.
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said they monitored air quality and no impact was detected.
Trucking companies are also urged to avoid the area of I-95 and use Interstate 84 or Interstate 87 instead.
Officials are also warning truck drivers not to use the Merritt Parkway as an alternate route because trucks are not allowed on the roadway.
The highway closure is also affecting local roads in Norwalk and police are working to reroute traffic throughout the city.
