HAZMAT Crew Utilized in Road Spill

HAZMAT spill temporarily closes the Midtown Tunnel Saturday

Updated: May 14, 2007 02:00 PM EDT
Commuters ran into trouble at the Midtown Tunnel early on Saturday.
The tunnel was closed for nearly five hours as HAZMAT crews cleaned up a hydrochloric acid spill.

The trail of hazardous material ran through the Midtown Tunnel and caused a trail of traffic to back up for hours.

"There was no crash. There was a load shift. One of the drums got cracked on the bottom and was leaking hydrochloric acid," explained Cheif Bruce Evans of the Norfolk Fire Department.
25 total gallons leaked from the truck. According to investigators the driver of the tractor trailer did not stop at the inspection station on the Portsmouth side of the tunnel prior to driving through. The truck was hauling three 55 gallon drums of hydrochloric acid and one drum of sodium hydroxide.

"Basic problems with hydrochloric acid is it's an irritant, it's an inhalation hazard, it's corrosive to the mucus membrane and liquidy tissues like the eyes, throat, things like that," said Evans.
Firefighters used an absorbant material to soak up the mess outside. The acid inside the tube will get special attention.

"They have a containment system for any runoff inside the tunnel, so that product will be contained within systems of the Midtown Tunnel," said Evans.

Fire officials said the driver faces four misdeamnor charges for having an improperly marked vehicle. State police may also file additional charges.

No one was hurt.