MONONGALIA COUNTY, W.Va. — I-79 southbound remains closed in southern Monongalia County due to a tractor-trailer accident Wednesday afternoon involving a corrosive spill.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Assistant Director of MECCA 911 Brad Wilson said the truck lost control and rolled around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, and the clean-up has continued.
“The truck was carrying 4,900 pounds of acid, so it’s acid that’s on the road and that has to be cleaned up before any vehicles can go through there,” Wilson said.
The road remains closed while contractors and state officials continue cleanup efforts.
“At this time we do not have any emergency responders on scene, but the roadway is still shut down,” Wilson said. “I cannot give you an estimated time to reopen the road; they have not given us that yet.”
West Virginia 511 shows traffic backups extending beyond the I-68 split at mid-morning Thursday. If the closure extends into the afternoon commute Thursday, Wilson expects long delays. Residents that can find an alternate route should do so.
“The morning traffic has already gone through there, and if it is still closed this evening, I would imagine there will still be backups,” Wilson said.
The state Department of Highways was not available for comment, but Wilson said engineers from the DOH may inspect the section of roadway before it is reopened.
“Not to my knowledge, but I believe they’ll have to get it cleaned up and then get the state Department of Highways engineers out there to make sure,” Wilson said.