BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (March 29, 2004) — Part of the busiest highway in the Northeast United States opened yesterday, after repairs to a partially melted overpass of Interstate highway I-95 in Connecticut were completed ahead of schedule.

The busy highway, which connects New York and Boston, was severely damaged last week when a tanker truck carrying 12,000 gallons of heating oil was forced into the guardrail by a passenger car, crashed and erupted into a ball of flames-causing road surfaces on the bridge to melt and buckle.

Officials originally expected the highway — a major transportation artery, which carries about 120,000 vehicles a day — to remain closed for several weeks in both directions. The more seriously affected southbound lanes won’t open until Thursday this week, officials said.

— from Associated Press