On April 21, 2023 a truck carrying heating oil collided with a vehicle on the southbound bridge, killing one person, the driver of the oil truck, and injuring at least two more. The crash dumped approximately 2,200 gallons of oil onto the bridge, which caught on fire. Initially, authorities believed the fire spread to buildings below the bridge, although later stated that it only spread to adjacent brush. The fire was initially reported as a one alarm fire however at 11:07 AM it was raised to a two alarm. Following the crash, the Connecticut Department of Transportation shut down the southbound bridge to traffic, awaiting for engineers to confirm the bridge's structural integrity. The bridge reopened to automobile traffic later that day. The pedestrian/cyclist section of the bridge remained closed, giving those users no way to cross the Thames River. It took 23 days of this closure before announcement of shuttle service provided to pedestrians and cyclists, which would be available 6 AM until 5 PM, daily.https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/dot-shuttle-service-gold-star-bridge-pedestrians-18098009.php
