The website Truck Driving Jobs is reporting that a tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol near Columbus, Ohio crashed and overturned under the eastbound I-70 bridge, causing massive damage to the bridge itself.

According to the district deputy fire chief, the damage to the steel and concrete is so significant that he expects the bridge to be closed for several weeks. Fire battalion chief, Tracy Smith, explains that the ethanol caused the blaze to be so bad that the crews just had to let it go. “We had to let it burn,” she said. “That product doesn’t mix with water, so it burned.”

Adding to the costs, are the estimated repairs to parts of the I-70 bridge and pavement on the I-270 ramp. The repair project is expected to take a month to complete and transportation officials are already working with the governor to allocate emergency state funding for the costly repairs. Jerry Wray of the Ohio Department of Transportation says they have already scheduled teams to be on location at the bridge around the clock to check the integrity of the concrete.

The driver, 50-year-old Charles Lackings (employed by HOC Transport Company), was able to escape the deadly inferno and has already been released from hospital suffering only minor injuries.

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This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.

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