COVINGTON, Ky. — Southbound Interstate 71-75 is closed after a tractor trailer carrying gasoline flipped just south of the Brent Spence Bridge Saturday night. The northbound lanes reopened just after 10 a.m.
The City of Covington believes the interstate will remain closed until early afternoon. Along with the interstate, several city streets near the bridge’s overpasses are also closed.
“The immediate danger is now gone,” said Covington Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe Bowman. “We’re just in the cleanup stage.”
The City of Covington reports the accident happened around 11 p.m. Saturday night when the tractor trailer rolled onto its side and slid across the highway right after crossing the bridge. The fire department doesn’t know how or what caused the accident. The truck driver went to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.
Chief Bowman said the truck was carrying approximately 8,000 gallons of gas and about 500 gallons gushed onto the roadway, falling o the streets below.
Covington and Cincinnati fire crews, along with other local First Responders and representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and environmental agencies responded to the scene quickly.
Kenton County Emergency Management issued a CodeRed alert for the area within a half mile of the accident. This allowed crews to block off the area, contain the spill with booms, sand and other absorbent material. Another company was called to drain the truck of the remaining fuel.
The truck was completely drained and pulled upright Sunday morning. Chief Bowman says crews are continuing to scrub the area. They are spreading sand, flushing the area and scooping the sand.
“We hope to reopen the interstate to traffic three to four hours from now,” Bowman said about 9 a.m. this morning, “but that’s just an estimate.”
Overnight, northbound traffic was being rerouted onto I-275 in Erlanger. Because of several tractor trailers and other vehicles overwhelming the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge, that bridge was also temporarily closed, given its low 11-ton weight limit.
KYTC District 6 says it hopes to have the remaining lanes of Interstate 71-75 open by noon.
