Truck was hauling approximately 4,500 gallons of an ammonium nitrate and water solution overturned
WV Press Release Sharing
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Turnpike is shut down at mile marker 62 near the Mossy exit following a tractor-trailer wreck.
A northbound truck carrying ammonium nitrate crashed on the Turnpike this morning. Emergency crews are on site. Jeff Miller, executive director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority, said the chemical did not get into nearby streams. Southbound lanes reopened a little after 9:30 a.m., but Miller said northbound lanes could be closed for several hours.
Turnpike Detour A will be in effect until the Turnpike reopens. Traffic heading north will take the North Beckley Exit (Exit 48) to US 19, then take US 19 to Interstate 79 near Sutton. Drivers can then take I-79 to Charleston. The detour is approximately 125 miles.
Soutbound traffic will see local detours until cleanup is finished.
UPDATE:
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and several other state and local agencies are responding to the tractor trailer crash that occurred on the West Virginia Turnpike near mile marker 62 in Fayette County.
The truck was headed northbound and hauling approximately 4,500 gallons of an ammonium nitrate and water solution.
The material has been contained to a ditch line and emergency crews are digging additional containment measures to capture the product and prevent further migration. No streams have been impacted at this time and WVDEP staff and other officials are monitoring the spill closely.
Ammonium nitrate is predominantly used in agriculture as a fertilizer. No evacuation orders have been issued at this time.
An environmental contractor, Evergreen Environmental, is currently on site to remediate the area and an additional contractor is en route to the scene to pump the remaining product from the tractor trailer. No timetable for completion of the cleanup has been set at this time.
The agencies involved include the WVDEP’s Homeland Security and Emergency Response, Hazardous Waste, and Environmental Enforcement units, West Virginia State Police, the State Fire Marshal, Fayette County Emergency Management, and fire department crews from Charleston, Pax, and Mt. Hope.
Per the West Virginia Parkways Authority, southbound lanes are open, but northbound lanes could be closed for several hours.
Turnpike Detour A will be in effect until the Turnpike reopens. Traffic heading north will take the North Beckley Exit (Exit 48) to US 19, then take US 19 to connect with Interstate 79 near Sutton. The detour is approximately 125 miles.