Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
Traffic is heavy on Route 195 East in Swansea this morning as the right-hand lane is still closed as crews continue to clean up a fuel spill from Sunday's truck roll-over. Watch the video

SWANSEA -- Route 195's eastbound right lane remains closed this morning at Exit 3 in Swansea following a tanker truck crash early yesterday morning, the Massachusetts State Police said.

The police said a Cape Cod Gas tanker, carrying 12,500 gallons of gasoline, rolled over on Route 195 about 5:40 a.m. yesterday, spilling fuel and snarling traffic in both directions for most of the day as the Massachusetts State Police closed the interstate between exits 2 and 3.

The driver, 55 year-old Kim Kilbreth, suffered minor injuries. No other vehicles were involved, said Sgt. Timothy Finn.

Traffic was detoured onto Route 6 as hazardous-materials crews cleaned up the spill.

The westbound highway was reopened late yesterday afternoon. Eastbound traffic resumed by 9:30 last night. The right and breakdown lanes remain closed.

The police said Kilbreth was driving a 2001 Peterbilt tractor on Route 195 East when he lost control. The tractor went into the breakdown lane and onto the grassy shoulder, eventually rolling over near the Maple Avenue overpass, the police said. The tanker landed on its side in the woods by the highway, spilling an estimated 8,500 gallons of gasoline, said Finn.

Some of the fuel seeped into nearby wetlands. A call to the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency was not immediately returned this morning.

The nearest house was a safe distance away, about a quarter of a mile, so no evacuation was necessary, Finn said.

The road was closed at about 6 a.m. as a precaution against a possible explosion.

Hazardous materials teams from several area fire departments went to the scene, said Finn.

The tanker cab is owned by KDK Enterprises, of Wareham, Mass.

Earlier this month, a tanker truck carrying about 11,000 gallons of jet fuel rolled over on Route 95 in Attleboro, spilling about a third of the fuel it was carrying, closing the highway temporarily and forcing 14 homes to be evacuated.

 Tags  Attleboro Mass. Massachusetts State Police

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