I-84 In Tolland Now Has 2 Lanes Open After Hazmat Situation After Truck Crash: UPDATE

TOLLAND, CT — Some good news for the end of the evening commute if you're taking Interstate 84. State Police say the left and center lanes are now open by Exit 67 and 68. The right lane and right shoulder remain closed, State Police said as of 6:20 p.m. Monday.

"Reduce speed in area, reduced lanes," State Police said.

Original story:

TOLLAND, CT — A section of Interstate 84 is expected to be closed at least into the Monday evening commute as fire and environmental crews clean up the site of a tractor-trailer crash.

The crash took place at 6:55 p.m. Sunday on I-84 eastbound between exits 67 and 68. A truck carrying barrels of hazardous material skidded off the highway and rolled onto its side on an embankment, state police said.

Tolland fire officials and crews from the federal Environmental Protection Agency were at the scene. Tolland fire officials said Monday morning that none of the barrels appeared to be broken and added "there is no threat to the public."

EPA contractors were deploying air quality monitors in the area, "as a precaution only," Tolland fire officials said. The materials are "flammable and corrosive," state police said.

Mark DeCarprio of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the chemicals included peroxides, various types of acid and some ammonia solutions.

State police said the truck is owned by OMA Transportation of Dallas. The driver was on his way from Texas to a chemical storage facility in Massachusetts, DeCaprio said. The driver was cited for traveling too fast for conditions. It had snowed earlier in the day.

Some containers were punctured, but officials are not fearing pollution to any neighborhood, DeCaprio said

On Sunday night, crews were going door-to-door to temporarily evacuate residents who live close to the highway, officials said.

Tolland fire officials released a map of detours (see attached).

The truck was about 25 feet off the road, Tolland Fire Chief John Littell said. Littell said the snow actually cushioned the blow of the crash. The cold temperatures complicated recovery, but on a hot day, the crash "would have been a lot different," he said.

State police spokesman Sgt. Kenneth Albert said the sensitive nature of the cleanup was "as serious as I have seen at Troop C." DeCaprio said a long-armed excavator is being used to meticulously retrieve each container. He said once the chemicals are recovered, the truck could be lifted to see if anything seeped out through the bottom.

Abert said extra troopers have been positioned along the detour routes to aid motorists from the crash sire almost the the University of Connecticut. He said the eastbound section of I-84 would likely not be open for the afternoon and evening drive times. The UConn women's basketball team is scheduled to host South Carolina in Storrs just after 9 a.m. Monday.

Photo Credit: Tolland Alert, state police, Chris Dehnel