<figure style="display: block; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><img width="925" height="520" src=" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="I-95 Tractor-Trailer Gas Tanker Fire, Compromised Overpass, Shut down Highwya" data-portal-copyright="I-95 Tractor-Trailer Gas Tanker Fire | New York Post, Matthew McDermott" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset=" 1600w, ?w=300&h=169 300w, ?w=768&h=432 768w, ?w=1024&h=576 1024w, ?w=1536&h=864 1536w, ?w=107&h=60 107w, ?w=902&h=507 902w, ?w=622&h=350 622w, ?w=1244&h=700 1244w, ?w=291&h=164 291w, ?w=582&h=328 582w" sizes="(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px" /><figcaption class="wp-media-credit">I-95 Tractor-Trailer Gas Tanker Fire | New York Post, Matthew McDermott</figcaption></figure><p id="par-1_59">Usually, an auto accident wouldn’t make big headlines, but this one did. Thursday morning, a <strong>tractor-trailer</strong> and tanker truck collided, and the tanker, carrying nearly 8,500 gallons of gas, burst into flames. The fiery inferno melted an overpass that must be demolished and rebuilt. It also shut down both sides of the highway, which happens to be Interstate 95.</p>
<p id="par-2_5"><strong>Why is this accident significant?</strong></p>
<p id="par-3_60">Interstate 95 is a major highway along the East Coast. It connects Maine with Florida and runs through all eastern states in between. This highway is a major road connecting New England and New York. It will be shut down during reconstruction. It’s traveled by millions of drivers every year and is a major part of many people’s daily commute.</p>
<p id="par-4_5"><strong>How bad was this accident?</strong></p>
<p id="par-5_43">The tanker truck hit the tractor-trailer <a href=" and a passenger vehicle near Exit 15 near the Fairfield Avenue overpass. Crews bgan work demolishing and rebuilding the overpass at 3 am on Friday, May 3. Interstate 95 will also need repaving after this accident.</p>
<p id="par-6_13">Thankfully, no injuries occurred to <a href=" passengers as a result of the accident.</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>“The heat from the burning fuel compromised some of the bridge, so that bridge is going to have to come down, and that demolition is going to start first thing tomorrow morning.”</p>
<cite>Governor Ned Lamont, Thursday after the accident</cite></blockquote>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large" id="emb-1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1600" height="900" src=" alt="Crash Fire I-95, Tanker truck and tractor-trailer " class="wp-image-1700768" srcset=" 1600w, ?w=300&h=169 300w, ?w=768&h=432 768w, ?w=1024&h=576 1024w, ?w=1536&h=864 1536w, ?w=107&h=60 107w, ?w=902&h=507 902w, ?w=622&h=350 622w, ?w=1244&h=700 1244w, ?w=291&h=164 291w, ?w=582&h=328 582w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Crash Between Gas Tanker and Tractor-Trailer Caused Massive Fire on I-95 | Daily Times, Chester Fire Department</figcaption></figure>
<p id="par-7_10"><strong>The morning rush came to a standstill after this accident</strong></p>
<p id="par-8_36">Although the accident didn’t result in injuries, cleaning up such a spill and fire creates serious problems. The cleanup efforts caused traffic slowdowns during the Thursday morning rush into New York City for dozens of miles.</p>
<p id="par-9_41">As expected, many secondary roads bacame backed up. These roads can’t handle the massive amount of traffic flowing from I-95. Semi-truck <a href=" had to find alternate routes, one of which has underpasses that are too low for them to get through.</p>
<p id="par-10_7"><strong>The cleanup requires efforts from several agencies</strong></p>
<p id="par-11_53">A massive accident, such as this, requires many involved agencies. Firefighters used foam to put out the fire. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ensures runoff remiains in a retention pond. There was danger of the chemical from the cleanup seeping into the Norwalk River. Thankfully, these agencies ensured this didn’t happen.</p>
<p id="par-12_37">In addition to putting out the fire and beginning cleanup, crews offloaded nearly 4,000 gallons of unburnt gas from the tanker. Utility crews also began efforts to replace downed wires, which caused some outages in the area.</p>
<p id="par-13_11"><strong>This accident has a lasting impact on traffic in the area</strong></p>
<p id="par-14_44">This flaming collision will cause long-term issues in the area while road crews begin to replace the compromised overpass. This means traffic may be much slower going into New York City, and many commuters may need to find alternate routes to and from work.</p>
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<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Fiery crash on I-95 in Norwalk, Connecticut closes interstate in both directions | NBC New York" width="925" height="520" src=" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<p id="par-15_4"><strong>Source: </strong><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Post</a></p>
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