UPDATE: Ind. 49 could re-open late Wednesday if oozing liquid is contained
John Scheibel john.scheibel@nwi.com, (219) 548-4358
Updated 3 hrs ago
PORTER, INDIANA — A green and white liquid oozing from the road has prompted state and local officials to close one of Porter County’s busiest roads at least through Wednesday before they tear up the recently paved surface to find the cause.
Ind. 49 is closed to traffic between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12, forcing commuters and beach-goers to find alternate routes to the South Shore train station, the Indiana Dunes State Park and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Officials believe the liquid is being produced by slag, a byproduct of refining ore, which was used as a road base in the Ind. 49 reconstruction project that started in April.
Porter Deputy Fire Chief Jay Craig said police were called just before 5 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Ind. 49 and Bailly Road for a green liquid.
Police originally thought the substance was antifreeze and called for the Fire Department to wash down the road.
But firefighters realized the substance was not something spilled on the road but was seeping up from the surface of the new asphalt roadway.
Officials from Porter County HAZMAT and the Indiana Department of Transportation determined the substance was likely caused by a chemical reaction with the slag, said Greg Eckhardt, Porter County HAZMAT director.
Craig said the green liquid was flowing from the roadway and giving off a strong sulfur smell. Fire Chief Lewis Craig Sr. and a Porter police officer who was not identified had difficulty breathing and were taken to a local hospital, were they were treated and released, Craig said.
Craig said he estimated about 120 gallons of the green liquid was being contained at the site and being collected by vacuum trucks.
Eckhardt said while the substance isn’t believed to be a hazard to residents in the area, they must work to keep it out of local waterways.
Crews will continue to contain the liquid and apply materials to make it safe and then remove it, said Doug Moats, an INDOT spokesman.
That work will continue on through Wednesday. INDOT hopes to reopen the road Wednesday evening, and will continue to monitor the area until next week when crews will dig up the road and remove the slag in the affected area, Moats said.
The Dunes-Kankakee Trail, which runs along Ind. 49 in that area, will remain closed as a precaution likely until the affected slag has been removed, Moats said.
Moats said there is no reason now to believe this will delay the overall resurfacing project on Ind. 49.
Craig said nearby homeowners were originally asked to stay indoors while officials determined what the substance was. They are now advised to keep their windows closed as necessary to avoid the odor.
Eckhardt said it appears some people are more sensitive to the odor than others.