State Highway 14 was closed to traffic Tuesday after a rig crashed in the early morning hours, spilling hot oil onto the highway nine miles east of Washougal. The state Department of Transportation expected the road would reopen this morning.
The tractor-trailer hauling two tankers of hot oil was traveling east on the highway around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday when the driver approached a rightward curve going too fast, Washington State Patrol Trooper Steve Robley said.
The rear tanker began to drift and the driver overcorrected, sending the rig onto its side, according to the State Patrol. The tankers then crossed the roadway and struck the guardrail on the eastbound side.
There were no injuries, Robley said.
Walt Garcia said he was heading home to Eastern Washington after visiting Washougal when he approached the truck, and watched as its rear-most tank started to rock in a turn.
“I was slowed way down watching the whole thing,” he said.
Garcia was able to pull in front of the tanker and call 911.
He stopped after the crash and saw the driver had climbed out. Garcia said he was astounded the driver was able to keep the trailers from veering totally out of control.
“It was crazy. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I was waiting for it to explode …because I didn’t know what was coming out.”
“I can’t believe that guy didn’t go off the cliff.”
Three thousand gallons of oil, a type used to make asphalt, spilled onto the road and grass, Washington State Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Treece said.
Though the oil is used to make roadways, it requires the right mix of other materials to create a surface suitable for driving, Treece said. Leaving the oil out wouldn’t be a good idea, he said, since it could warm up and become slick.
The State Patrol said the driver, 49-year-old Juan Williams Jr., of Yuma, Ariz., was cited for second-degree negligent driving. Robley said a State Patrol commercial vehicle inspector also found the brakes appeared to be out of adjustment, which may lead to more citations.
The Department of Ecology responded to the spill, and said on Twitter it found no sign of damage to any nearby waterways.
Crews spent all day Tuesday cleaning up the area, which included removing and putting back into place the guardrail to better get at the spilled oil, Treece said.
The department said on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that the mess was so bad the only way to repair the roadway was to grind off its top layer of pavement then repave.
A detour was set up using Salmon Falls Road in the area, though motorists driving vehicles heavier than 10,000 pounds need to find another route; the local roads aren’t meant for larger vehicles, Treece said.
WSDOT said the road should reopen Wednesday, though more work is planned, and both directions of the highway will have to alternate on a single lane for several days.
The closed stretch of highway sees about 4,300 vehicles a day.
“We appreciate people being patient while the cleanup is underway,” Treece said.
