The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality continues to oversee cleanup and monitoring near the site of Sunday’s truck crash and fuel release on Hwy 22 about 60 miles east of Salem.
The highway will be closed from just west of Idanha to the junction with Hwy 20, from milepost 53 to 81, until Friday or Saturday.
On Monday, the Oregon Department of Transportation was able to assess the damage and determined that it will take several days to remove contaminated soil and repair the road. An area of roadway about 600 feet long needs to be completely excavated and rebuilt.
Of the 10,600 gallons of fuel on board the double tanker, 7,871 gallons spilled. Fuel is discharging from the bank of the North Santiam River and a sheen is visible for a few hundred feet downstream of the crash site. The North Santiam River provides drinking water for several communities downstream. The city of Salem says its drinking water is safe.
Motorists traveling to and from the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon can use U.S. 20 and OR 126E as alternative routes. Visit Tripcheck.com for updates.
Copyright KLCC, 2020
