Alaska News

Driver unhurt as tanker crashes, spills diesel on Parks Highway

One lane of the Parks Highway is closed at milepost 271, between the Interior communities of Healy and Nenana, due to a crash involving a tractor-trailer hauling fuel.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation was notified of a crash involving a fuel tanker at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Patricia Bower, program coordinator for the department's Division of Spill Prevention and Response.

An estimated 2,000 gallons of No. 1 diesel fuel was spilled in the crash, according to Bower.

The spill occurred on state-owned land in a state Department of Transportation right-of-way, DEC reported in a press release.

The driver, identified as 31-year-old Robert Myers Jr. of Fairbanks, was unharmed in the accident, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said. He was issued a citation for negligent driving.

The tractor-trailer "left the road and rolled over, damaging the front tanker," DEC reported. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

The truck belongs to Big State Logistics, DEC spokesperson Ashley Adamczak said. The company was leading the cleanup efforts, with both DEC and DOT assisting.

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Crews have pumped around 250 gallons of fuel from the ditch next to the accident site, according to DEC. The fuel continues to leak from the truck. A second tanker truck is at the site to pump out remaining fuel once it becomes accessible.

Around 1,800 gallons of fuel remains in the damaged tanker compartment, and 5,800 gallons are in the middle and rear fuel compartments, DEC said.

The fuel appears to be contained in the ditch. Fuel-saturated soil will be removed and hauled from the ditch by Big State Logistics. The company has also brought in an environmental consultant to assist with cleanup.

"Sorbent material has been laid down on the roadway to collect spilled fuel and prevent further spread of diesel," DEC reported.

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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