New Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95 in Norwalk, Conn. after fiery crash destroyed it
NORWALK, Conn. - Seven months after it was destroyed in a fiery truck crash, the Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95 has reopened.
Officials cut the ribbon on the reopened bridge just before noon Monday.
Traffic barriers that had been in place since May 2 were collected and carted away. An inspector used a level to check the grade of the final road paving.
Timelapse video shows the determined effort by Connecticut DOT and its contractors to rebuild the bridge in record time, moving girders into place over I-95 and then constructing the road bed. The new bridge came in under budget - $20 million was set aside, and $17 million was spent.
A fuel tanker truck fire on I-95 compromised the bridge structure, requiring it to be torn down.
Bridge rebuilt in less than a year, and under budget
Residents feared delays would drag into 2025. The rebuild was fast indeed - it took 241 days from start to finish.
"Many of us thought it was going to be years to get this done. You guys did this in 7 months. That is unbelievable," Connecticut State Rep. Travis Simms said.
"It's a main artery, emergency access road. It's really important that this got done," State Sen. Bob Duff said.
"This is awesome"
Drivers celebrated as traffic flowed over the brand-new bridge.
"Oh my God, it's, like, across the street from my house. This is awesome," driver Lisa Butler said.
Butler is one of countless drivers inconvenienced for seven months, and rerouted through Norwalk.
Jerzy Karwowski, who shot footage of the inferno on the day of the fire, returned for the ribbon cutting. He was amazed to see traffic moving on the brand-new bridge.
"They do a beautiful job, beautiful job and fast, you know?" he said.
