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“RE-OPENING I-95 IN CONNECTICUT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S4015 on April 8, 2004.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RE-OPENING I-95 IN CONNECTICUT
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today in praise of the exemplary efforts of the construction and maintenance crews, engineers, and State and Federal transportation officials to quickly re-open Interstate 95 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, last week after a devastating fire destroyed a portion of the highway. On behalf of the people of Connecticut, I offer them my deepest thanks for the hard work--and teamwork--that has restored a vital artery in our nation's transportation system faster than anyone thought possible.
On Thursday evening, March 25, a car and a tanker truck collided while traveling along I-95 South in Bridgeport. The tanker truck, carrying 12,000 gallons of home heating oil, tipped over and slid along the barriers before stopping and, minutes later, the truck's contents ignited, sending flames 50 to 60 feet into the air. Remarkably, no one was killed or injured in the accident, and within 20 minutes firefighters had extinguished the blaze, but the damage had been done. Both the existing southbound bridge and a new bridge that had just been built alongside of it were severely damaged.
I-95 in Connecticut--a traffic corridor of national significance that links New York City with Boston--was immediately shut down in both directions over a distance spanning several exits. This caused major traffic problems, especially for tractor-trailer drivers. Engineers determined that the northbound overpass could be shored up and made structurally sound again, and additional supports were erected to reinforce the northbound span, which was reopened to traffic on Sunday night, March 28. The southbound lanes, however, were beyond easy repair, and engineers concluded that a temporary bridge would have to be erected to support traffic on the southbound span of the highway. A temporary bridge was supplied by Acrow Corp of Carlstadt, NJ. It arrived in pieces and was assembled by crews from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, DeMatteo Construction, and Brunalli Construction. By Sunday morning, the skeleton of the temporary bridge had been fully assembled. A steel deck was then laid on top of it and the surface was paved. The southbound lanes of I-95 were reopened on Wednesday morning at 3:30 a.m.
Approximately 120,000 vehicles pass over this span of I-95 every day, and officials initially estimated that the highway would be closed for three to four weeks. But the crews that performed the work managed to re-open it in just five days. This accomplishment cannot be overstated. I rise today to say thank you to the Connecticut DOT employees, Federal DOT officials, contractors and others who worked around the clock to make it possible. Your service to our State is deeply appreciated, and we commend you for your excellent work.
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