Overturned truck spills 40,000 pounds of paper onto Route 78

SPRINGFIELD (Union) — The Tuesday afternoon commute on Route 78 will be snarled by a truck that overturned and dumped 40,000 pounds of paper onto the wet road.

The tractor trailer flipped over on the westbound lanes around 12:50 p.m. and blocked three of the five lanes, according to State Police spokesman Sgt. Lawrence Peele. The driver suffered minor injuries but refused medical treatment.

Peele said the cause of the overturn remained under investigation.

Witnesses said cranes were used to upright the truck. A small fuel spill also needed to be cleaned up, according to Peele.

Westbound delays on Route 78 started at the Garden State Parkway as of 4 p.m.as the afternoon commute started.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ