Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses said it will be well into the evening before the bridge on Buck Creek Road is cleared and reopened to traffic.
The bridge crossing the CSX tracks has been closed since approximately 6 a.m. when a tractor-trailer carrying flammable liquid overturned and was left hanging off the bridge.
Emergency personnel have been working to empty the cargo of butyl acrylates, a chemical used in paints, sealants, coatings, adhesives, fuel, textiles, plastics and caulk.
Moses said a small amount of the chemical has leaked down onto the tracks, but no body of water is in immediate danger of contamination.
Residents on nearby Claude Smith Road were evacuated as a precaution.
“We are monitoring the area around Pleasant View School,” Moses added, noting the school is approximately one-half a mile from the scene
Moses said the truck driver reported that he had spent the night at the Pilot Travel Center in Williamsburg. Upon leaving the truck stop Monday.
“He turned on his GPS and it brought him south on U.S. 25W. For some reason he came up this road.” Moses explained when asked how the driver got onto Buck Creek Road.
A vacuum truck, along with a second tanker have been brought to the scene to transfer the load.
Once that is completed, Moses said a rotator will be used to right the truck and a wrecker will tow it from the scene.
Moses noted there are ways for residents who typically travel that part of Buck Creek Road, to reach their destination via another route. He advised everyone to do so until further notice.
Pleasant View, Emlyn, and South Whitley Firefighters, Kentucky State Police Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, Whitley County Sheriff’s deputies, Larry Todd with Williamsburg Fire Department, Jerry Rains with Kentucky Emergency Management, and personnel with the Kentucky Environmental Protection Cabinet are on the scene.
