Mayor: Norwalk adapting ‘pretty well’ to life without Fairfield Avenue overpass

This weekend marks two weeks since the Fairfield Avenue overpass in Norwalk was torn down after a fiery tanker truck crash on I-95 damaged the bridge. The demolition cut off the main artery connecting I-95 and South Norwalk to Connecticut Avenue, but people have adjusted pretty well to the new reality of life without it, according to Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling.

Drivers have had to use one of the other overpasses to get from one side of the city to the other. While it may be a little inconvenient, Rilling said he thinks people understand, noting it hasn’t really caused traffic problems.

That’s, in part, due to the city working with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to change the timing of the traffic signals on Connecticut Avenue to account for the absence of the Fairfield Avenue overpass. Rilling explained that lights at other intersections are remaining green for longer so the extra cars can make it through the light cycle. He specifically mentioned Stuart Avenue.

“I come by there virtually every morning, and I get the red light on Connecticut Avenue and Stuart Avenue stays green for a longer time, allowing more cars out. And I've seen a lot more cars on Stuart Avenue then I did before, so I think we're adapting pretty well and getting used to it,” Rilling told News 12.

Only one of the Norwalk Transit District’s bus routes had to be adjusted—the hospital shuttle. It used to go across Fairfield Avenue but has been rerouted to cross at Stuart Avenue instead.

Rilling said he’s hopeful a new bridge will be up within a year. State engineers still have the designs from when it was built in 2015, so right now, those are being updated. Three million dollars of federal money has already been released to help pay for the bridge. Local and state leaders expect to get more.