Truck Rolls Over On I-80 Near New Lenox, Spilling Phosphoric Acid; Westbound Lanes Kept Closed
NEW LENOX, Ill. (CBS) -- All westbound lanes of Interstate 80 were closed all day and into the night Thursday near southwest suburban New Lenox, after a semi trailer truck rolled over and started leaking phosphoric acid onto the roadway.
Illinois State Police said the lanes were not expected to reopen until around midnight Thursday night.
State Police said the truck was headed west on I-80, about two miles west of the I-355 interchange, when it crashed and rolled over in a construction zone around 7:50 a.m. as the driver was trying to change lanes.
Police said the driver lost control when the trailer "began to sway uncontrollably" as he was changing lanes. The truck hit a guardrail and overturned in the ditch on the right shoulder.
The truck was hauling phosphoric acid, which was leaking after the crash, prompting a hazardous materials response. Police said approximately 100 gallons of the chemical leaked onto the road.
The driver was not injured, but was issued a ticket for improper lane usage. Police said the driver could face additional charges, pending an investigation into the crash.
Due to the acid spill, police closed all westbound lanes of I-80 between I-355 and U.S. Route 30 while hazmat crews work to clean it up.
While the spill has been contained, the westbound lanes remained closed as of about 3 p.m. Police said the truck was uprighted around 1:15 p.m., and crews were working to reopen the road.
