By Lisa Hagen / CTMirror.org

Connecticut will receive $3 million in federal funding to help with repairs after a tanker-truck fire destroyed an Interstate 95 bridge in Norwalk last Thursday and closed down the highway for three days.

The emergency relief funds announced Monday will be immediately available for use by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to help rebuild the fire-damaged Fairfield Avenue Bridge, which was demolished over the weekend. 

During the emergency-repairs operation, car and truck traffic was gridlocked in Westport and other communities flanking the accident scene as drivers sought alternate routes to the closed thoroughfare.

I-95 fully reopened in both directions by Sunday, a day earlier than officials initially predicted.

In the aftermath of the fire, Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency. Connecticut’s congressional delegation wrote to the U.S. Department of Transportation, urging expedited funds to assist in repairing damages by the fire and reconstructing the bridge. They wrote that reopening I-95 is “extremely critical to flow the vehicular and truck traffic through New England.”

Through DOT’s Federal Highway Administration, Connecticut will get a “quick release” of funding through the Emergency Relief Program. 

That program provides initial funds to states to repair highways and bridges that were damaged by natural disasters and catastrophic events. The state can expect future installments of federal funding to assist with needed repairs.

“I-95 is a critical highway — for both the people of Connecticut and our nation’s transportation network — and the Biden-Harris Administration focused immediately on helping Gov. Lamont quickly restore travel,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. 

“These 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,” Buttigieg added.

Following the demolition of the bridge and the reopened highway, Lamont and state Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto gave an update Monday from Norwalk.

The officials said they do not have an exact timeline for when the Fairfield Avenue bridge spanning the highway would be rebuilt, but it could be done within a year. 

They also noted that there would be some lane closures but that they “won’t be as disruptive as what we just encountered,” according to The Hartford Courant.