Local News Update

I was among the may skeptics who laughed when they said they would have I95 in Bridgeport CT re-opened in three weeks. I was sort of right. Three weeks was not accurate. The highway is open - in SIX DAYS.(registration required)

Chris Cooper, spokesman for the DOT, said the three lanes were opened about 3:30 a.m. Crews had worked Tuesday and throughout the night to pave over a section of temporary bridge brought in to replace the overpass, destroyed after the accident in which a tanker truck carrying heating oil struck a concrete barrier and burst into flames.

The northbound lanes of the bridge were repaired and reopened Sunday night.

Officials initially had said it might take weeks to repair the bridge, but have worked round-the-clock to reopen the interstate, the main route between New York and Boston. Over 120 thousand cars a day normally travel the one-mile stretch of roadway.

Workers on Monday evening began installing a temporary bridge to replace the overpass. The bridge's steel deck was in place Tuesday morning, and crews were paving it Tuesday evening.

Later, construction workers will create a temporary road in the highway median. Traffic will be shifted to the temporary road while permanent repairs are made to the overpass.

Count me as amazed, impressed, and because I have to drive that stretch of road - very grateful.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 04:19 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment