THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 9, 1996 TAG: 9607090235
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 28 lines
A truck hauling charcoal lost a tank and spilled about 75 gallons of diesel fuel just east of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Monday afternoon, closing the eastbound lanes of I-64 for about three hours.
The spill occurred on the Willoughby Bay Bridge, said Tammy Van Dame, spokesman for the Virginia State Police.
``A small amount, not a significant amount to be seen in the water, went into the Bay itself,'' Van Dame said. She said the U.S. Coast Guard was called to assess the extent of the fuel spill.
The incident occurred at about 3:15 p.m. Traffic resumed on the eastbound lanes at 6:16 p.m.
While the lanes were closed, vehicles were detoured to I-664, Van Dame said.
The fuel tank fell from the truck when a strap came loose, Van Dame said. When the tank fell, she said, the truck ran over it. About 50 percent of the tank's fuel spilled.
The driver of the truck, owned by Michaels Cartage in Cumberland, Md., was not charged.
Van Dame said the Norfolk Fire Department helped clean up the spill.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC FUEL SPILL by CNB