Roads closed Monday afternoon after tanker leaks in Summit (UPDATE)

UPDATE 6:30 P.M: The state Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation crews remain on scene, finishing cleanup of the hazardous material spill. The road is expected to be reopened by midnight, city officials said.

SUMMIT — The cleanup after a fully loaded gasoline tanker truck overturned early Monday morning will continue to have an effect on traffic and afternoon commute.

The tanker leaked gasoline for about 45 minutes after it flipped over on Broad Street over Route 24 around 3:30 a.m. before the Summit Fire Department and the Union County Hazardous Materials team capped the leak and covered the overpass in foam, according to city spokeswoman Amy Cairns.

Cairns said the truck was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline. No injures were reported to the driver or any firefighters, according to Cairns.

The closure and cleanup had a major impact on during the morning commute as Broad Street was closed between the Route 24 overpass and Middle Avenue. The Broad Street entrance into Summit was completely closed. Morris Turnpike (Route 124) in Springfield is closed in both directions from Millburn Avenue to Mt. Ararat Road in Short Hills.

There was expected a bit of improvement for the afternoon commute, as Morris Turnpike westbound was reopened from Millburn Avenue west toward Hobart Avenue, according to Cairns.

The eastbound lanes and the Broad Street Route 24 overpass will not reopen until the tanker is removed and the HAZMAT cleanup is complete, Cairns said. The ramps from Route 24 to Broad Street also remained closed, creating backups from Route 78 West onto Route 24 West. Route 24 East also had delays in the afternoon.

Crews worked to offload into another tanker and the road surface is cleaned.

The closures also created a big backup on Route 78 as the ramps from Route 24 to Broad Street were also closed.

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

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