FEBRUARY 28, 2015
CAMPBELL COUNTY, TENNESSEE
UPDATE 8:30 a.m.
Crews cleared the site of a wreck and chemical spill in
Campbell County, after working all night to regrade, repave and reopen the
road.
Two tractor trailers collided Tuesday at about 2:30 p.m.,
shutting down the interstate near the 159 mile marker. By 4 a.m., workers
managed to reopen the southbound lanes of I-75 near Jellico.
PREVIOUS STORY:
A wreck and chemical spill involving two semi-trucks is
causing major traffic problems near the Tennessee-Kentucky state line in
Campbell County.
A TDOT spokesperson said Tuesday evening they don't expect
to reopen I-75 South until 7 a.m. Wednesday due to the cleanup.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a truck driver
from Knoxville rear ended another semi-truck in the right hand lane near mile
marker 159 around 2:30 p.m.
The Knoxville truck went sideways and the plastic barrels it
was hauling burst open. The non-toxic silicone material inside those containers
then spilled onto the roadway about a mile from the state line.
THP said crews attempted to clean the material off the road
using sand and stay dry, but it didn't work. THP advised the affected area of
I-75 would need to be graded or milled and then repaved before it can reopen.
Southbound traffic is being diverted to alternate routes.
According to THP, the Knoxville truck driver is charged with
failure to exercise due care.
The roadway was originally expected to reopen around 6 p.m.,
but now that closure will last overnight.
This is the latest in a recent string of crashes along
Campbell County's stretch of I-75