JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Westbound Interstate 70 has reopened near C-470 after a fuel tanker rollover caused safety concerns and shut down the highway for nearly 7 hours.
The semitruck went off the right side of the road, rolling onto the passenger side, around 2:05 a.m. Wednesday, according to Colorado State Patrol (CSP). The driver was a 27-year-old man. He walked away with no injuries, CSP said.
However, the tanker he was driving began leaking fuel onto the highway. The CSP Hazmat Unit, as well as Arvada Fire Protection District and Foothills Fire & Rescue, responded to the cleanup.
The emergency agencies worked to drill a hole into the tanker and offload the remaining fuel from the truck's compartments before the tanker could be placed upright and towed, Arvada Fire said. Crews used a hose to transfer fuel from the crashed tanker into another tanker nearby.
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Arvada Fire said crews were able to contain the fuel spill, helping to prevent runoff from entering into storm drains and causing contamination.
The crash closed westbound I-70 at the Morrison exit. Traffic was diverted onto Highway 40, the frontage road, to the top of the hill back to I-70. Eastbound lanes remained open, according to Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber.
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Westbound I-70 reopened around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday.
The agency is investigating the crash and asking anyone who witnessed it or has any information to please contact dispatch at 303-239-4501. Reference case number 1A261565.
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