Connecticut
WATCH LIVE: Demolition on I-95 bridge after fiery crash in Connecticut
The first half of an I-95 overpass in Norwalk, Conn., damaged when a tanker truck crashed and burst into flames beneath it, was taken down Saturday morning amid ongoing demolition efforts.
A live camera feed from the site showed a flurry of activity, with construction crews in bright yellow and orange working and wading through the mangled remains of the Fairfield Avenue bridge. On the other side, an excavator could be seen ripping and jackhammering at what remained of the structure while other vehicles helped to remove the rubble.
To help keep the public informed of the ongoing work to repair I-95 in Norwalk, @CTDOTOfficial has installed a live webcam at the site, which can be watched 24/7.
🎥 Check it out anytime here: https://t.co/OycBQtGxoC pic.twitter.com/AiVydGi0ry
— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) May 4, 2024
Workers were also relying on massive shears shipped in from Long Island to help cut the support steel into smaller pieces, NBC Connecticut reported.
The bridge is being demolished due to damages it sustained following a three-vehicle crash early Thursday morning.
A tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline was traveling on the southbound side of I-95 in Norwalk around 5:30 a.m. when it was struck by a car merging from the right lane, according to Connecticut State Police. It then hit a tractor-trailer in another lane, sparking a towering inferno that ultimately compromised the Fairfield Avenue overpass.
No one was killed in the crash.
While the bridge was less than 10 years old, the “damage was pretty severe due to the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “The steel did begin to overheat and warp.”
WATCH THE DEMO VIA LIVE CAM
Eucalitto added that it’s unsafe for any traffic to pass beneath the bridge in either direction, so the entire bridge, which has beams that cross both spans of highway, must be removed. As a result, the East Coast’s main north-south highway has been closed since Thursday, leaving traffic snarled and motorists frustrated.
Gov. Ned Lamont on Saturday said plans to reopen all six lanes before rush hour Monday morning appeared to be on track.
Until then, drivers have to rely on slow-moving detours, directing traffic around the accident scene. Residents across Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and trucking companies who use the section of I-95 were also notified via text alerts to seek out alternate routes and means of travel, leaving all secondary highways and backroads gridlocked in the wake of the crash.
About 160,000 vehicles travel that section of I-95 in both directions daily, officials said.
With News Wire Services
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (WTNH) — Aaliyah Edwards came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points as the Connecticut Sun defeated the Portland Fire, 90-87, during Camp Day on Tuesday morning at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Thousands of kids were in attendance to watch the Sun hold on to a fourth-quarter lead as the Fire attempted to rally. Connecticut led by 10 at halftime and saw its lead cut to one in the final period.
Brittney Griner added 20 points for the Sun, who ended their three-game homestand with a victory. Olivia Nelson-Ododa went 8-for-8 from the foul line en route to 16 points and Leila Lacan chipped in 14.
Carla Leite led the Fire with 18 points.
The Sun visit Phoenix on Friday for the first of two games with the Mercury.
Florida’s tallest flag pole raises new Stars and Stripes on Independence Day
Florida’s tallest free-standing American flagpole now stands 250 feet tall at Bernice Braden Park in Cape Coral
You might have seen Connecticut’s state flag in government buildings and schools and wondered what the meaning was behind its design.
Adopted by the General Assembly in 1897, the Flag of Connecticut features a navy blue background with a white shield. Three grapevines with purple grapes are on the shield and oak leaves and acorns can be found on the shield’s edge.
Below the shield is a banner which features the phrase “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” written in Latin. According to ConnecticutHistory.org, that phrase translates to “He who transplanted still sustains,” which honors the colonists who moved to the state from England.
Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the three grapevines have two competing interpretations: they represent either the three oldest settlements in the state (Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor) or the three colonies that merged to form Connecticut (Connecticut Colony, Saybrook Colony and New Haven Colony).
Why is the Connecticut flag blue?
According to ConnecticutHistory.org, the blue comes from Connecticut’s Civil War military flags. During the Civil War, Connecticut regiments had flags featuring blue backgrounds. ConnecticutHistory.org reports that when the legislature adopted an official flag in 1897, they kept the color that military tradition had already established.
Origins of Connecticut’s state flag
Per ConnecticutHistory.org, Connecticut did not have an official state flag until 1897. The site reports that in 1895, the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Groton pushed for an official flag to display in their new meeting room.
Governor Owen Vincent Coffin introduced a bill on May 29, 1895, which ConnecticutHistory.org says caused the legislature to subsequently form a committee. After several designs were submitted, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted the flag in 1897.
Connecticut’s coat of arms, which includes the shield, grapevines and banner featured on the state flag, was not formally standardized until 1931, according to USASymbol.com. The website also says color standards for the flag came in 1956, when the Secretary of the State’s office developed uniform specifications.
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