An overturned fuel truck sparked a massive fire on the southbound side of the I-95 Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Groton around 11:15 a.m. on Friday.
A blown tire on a passenger vehicle caused the crash.
The truck driver has been pronounced dead and several other injuries have been reported.
The southbound side of the highway remains closed. Governor Ned Lamont said it is unclear how long that will last.
“Right now what you have is the Department of Transportation doing a structural analysis of the southbound bridge,” Lamont said. “In particular, making sure that we're not going to open it until it's absolutely safe. The intense, wicked heat could potentially compromise the steel. We hope that's not the case.”
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was able to remove around 85% of the oil that spilled from the bridge into the Thames River.
Officials say the home heating oil truck had a 2800-gallon capacity. It is unclear how much fuel was onboard.
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Gary Eucalito said his team is looking into converting the northbound side of the bridge into bi-directional traffic. They are unsure if it is feasible.
The Gold Star is the largest bridge in Connecticut. More than 60,000 vehicles travel on the southbound side every day. The bridge is the easiest route for many drivers traveling between Boston and New York.
