This story has been updated to indicate that northbound travel reopened at 10:15 a.m., according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
A truck hauling thousands of gallons of gasoline flipped on its side near the Brent Spence Bridge on southbound I-71/75 late Saturday night prompting the closure of the highway in both directions.
The City of Covington said that a ‘code red’ alert was issued for residents living within a half mile of the scene to shelter in place. Later on Sunday morning, the city issued an update saying that the ‘immediate danger’ was gone and that the ‘code red’ had been lifted.
The highway remained closed, however, as of 10:10 a.m. Sunday. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet later said that northbound travel had resumed.
“The immediate danger is now gone,” said Covington Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe Bowman. “We’re just in the cleanup stage.”
The crash also prompted the closure of the Roebling Suspension Bridge to keep heavy tractor trailers off that historic span as they seek alternate routes across the Ohio River.
The truck, carrying 8,000 to 8,500 gallons of gas, a rough estimate from Covington Fire Battalion Chief Joe Bowman, flipped at around 11 p.m. Saturday. The fuel was on the interstate and leaking to the city street below. The driver of the truck was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, the city said.
The Covington Fire Department and other emergency, environmental and transportation agencies were on the scene to contain the spilled gas with sand, booms and absorbent material, city officials said.
By this morning, the truck had been drained and pulled upright, Bowman said. Crews continue to scrub the scene, spreading sand, flushing the area, and scooping up the sand.
“We hope to reopen the interstate to traffic three to four hours from now,” Bowman said at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning, “but that’s just an estimate.”
In the meantime, northbound traffic is being re-routed to I-275 in Erlanger while southbound traffic in Cincinnati is being directed to I-471.
