NORWALK, Conn. — $3 million in emergency relief funds is being sent to the Connecticut Department of Transportation for repairs to Interstate 95 in Norwalk after a fiery crash led to the demolition of an overpass, officials said Monday.
A release from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration announced that the funds will go towards offsetting costs to reconstruct the Fairfield Avenue Bridge, which had to be demolished following a fiery crash involving a gas tanker on May 2.
The highway was closed for three days as crews worked to tear down the bridge after it was left with severe structural damage. Officials announced that it was reopened as of Sunday.
Pete Buttigieg, U.S. transportation secretary who approved a "quick release" of the funding, said that "emergency funds helped Connecticut DOT safely repair and reopen the road in less than 80 hours and can now help with costs associated with rebuilding the bridge."
According to their website, additional funding used to repair damages to I-95 and the Fairfield Avenue bridge "will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through subsequent nationwide funding allocations."
"The damage to I-95 in Norwalk disrupted the daily lives, travel and business for local residents as well as the surrounding regions that rely on this vital route," said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “As one of the country’s busiest highways, the Federal Highway Administration worked swiftly to provide funding to CTDOT to repair and reopen the Interstate.”
Joining other state officials in applauding the announcement from the FHWA, Gov. Ned Lamont said, "very quickly after the collision occurred on Thursday morning, Secretary Buttigieg was on the phone with me and let me know that the U.S. Department of Transportation is ready and willing to support Connecticut and make these urgent repairs to the highway."
RELATED: I-95 in Norwalk closed following fiery 3-vehicle crash, overpass to be demolished: Officials
Lamont continued, "This stretch of I-95 is one of the most heavily traveled roads in the nation and it is a major corridor for commerce and our economy. The quick support of the federal government is appreciated, and it will help us accelerate the rehabilitation of this highway. I thank Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris administration for the approval of this emergency relief funding and for understanding how important I-95 is for Connecticut.”
Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said that he is "incredibily proud of our crews and contractors who got the job done ahead of schedule over the weekend" and that "while the highway is now open, we still have a lot of work to do, and our team is hard at work designing the new Fairfield Avenue Bridge."
Lamont said Monday that CTDOT engineers worked through the weekend to begin preliminary replacement plans for the bridge, which are expected to be finished within the next two weeks.
Sean Humphrey is a Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com.
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