COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – By Friday, the Ohio Department of Transportation says, there will be a temporary road along I-70 eastbound at I-270 to allow traffic through after a Wednesday morning tanker crash.
The temporary roadway will go through the median into I-70 west. This will leave two lanes each for eastbound and westbound traffic on 70.
The driver has been identified as 50-year-old Charles Lackings of Beavercreek. He was cited with failure to control and with transporting a hazardous load in city limits.
The Columbus fire department said Lackings’ tanker was carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol. It is unclear what caused the tanker to crash around 6 a.m., but it slid for some time before catching fire under the I-70 east bound bridge. The deputy fire chief says the damage to the bridge is so significant that he expects it to be closed for several weeks–the fire damaged steel and concrete.
Fire battalion chief Tracy Smith said crews just had to let the blaze go.
“We had to let it burn,” she said. “That product doesn’t mix with water, so it burned.”
Ohio Department of Transportation director Jerry Wray said teams will be looking at the bridge night and day to check the integrity of the concrete.
“They will be critical,” he said. “That group will be together, working shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week…making decisions quickly, and on the spot.”
An ODOT press release says the crash caused about $1 million in damage.
Fire crews had to bring water to the scene, and multiple departments responded with foam to help extinguish the fire. Fire crews will continue to spray the hot metal with foam until it stops igniting.
Columbus fire also said a cleanup crew from the company associated with the truck responded to the scene. Additionally Columbus hazmat crews, and the EPA arrived on scene to clean up the ethanol.
Traffic updates from ODOT:
Two lanes of I-70 west at I-270 on the west side are open.
By Friday at noon, there will be two lanes for both I-70 eastbound and westbound traffic.
Between now and Friday, crews will build a cross-over through the median so that I-70 eastbound and westbound is travelling on the westbound side.
Just beyond Hilliard-Rome Road, I-70 eastbound travelers will be forced to cross over onto the westbound side using two lanes. They will travel over I-270 and cross back over just before Wilson Road.
ODOT will give the contractor 30 days to replace a section of the bridge and make the necessary pavement repairs. During the 30-day construction, the following ramps will be closed:
- I-70 east to I-270 north
- I-270 north to I-70 west
There is a financial incentive for the contractor to complete the work in less than 30 days.
Alternate routes are available on the ODOT website and social media sites.
The tanker fire early Wednesday morning caused so much damage to the I-70 eastbound bridge, it is not safe for the motoring public.
Construction is expected to start soon to replace a quarter of the bridge that was damaged.
