Accident snarls I-55 traffic

Traffic was brought to a halt Saturday afternoon near the Nash Road exit ramp of Interstate 55 on Saturday when a tractor-trailer carrying 22 tons of a flammable bleaching agent collapsed onto the asphalt.

For nearly nine hours, police diverted drivers around the accident to the exit ramps as firefighters and a hazardous materials team worked to carry away the dangerous cargo.

The truck was northbound, south of the Diversion Channel at about 12:20 p.m., when its trailer containing 44,000 pounds of sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate -- an industrial bleaching agent -- broke in half and fell to the road, said Cape Girardeau fire battalion chief Steve Niswonger.

The hazardous material was in a granular form, packed in 2,000-pound bags on pallets.

"As long as it doesn't get wet or we don't get rain, we'll be OK," Niswonger said early in the afternoon. "An ignition source could be a problem, too. But it's stable for now."

No injuries were reported. The driver, Jeremy Peek, worked for H&J Truck Line of Nashville, Ill., Niswonger said.

When it came to rest, the trailer leaned toward the southbound lane, creating concern that it could shift further.

"None of it spilled out onto the road," Niswonger said. "But the left side panels are blown out and the bags are against them."

The bags may have been improperly loaded, shifted during transport or have been too heavy for that particular model of trailer, he said.

The Department of Natural Resources was notified, and a private hazardous materials team from St. Louis was brought in to remove the chemical agent.

DNR area scene coordinator Jackson Bostic and Jackson fire chief Brad Golden were extended on a Cape Girardeau fire engine ladder to peer into the top of the broken trailer to gauge whether it was safe to let the haz-mat team members enter it, said John Sachen, Delta Fire Protection District training officer.

The traffic delays confused some drivers until they got closer to the tractor-trailer.

"At first, I thought it was the construction and that I'd missed a bulletin," said motorist Nikki Stallion of Cape Girardeau. "But once I got up there and took exit 91, I could actually see the accident."

Stallion first encountered the delays when she drove south to Benton to visit friends, but upon her return after 4 p.m., the problem was just as bad, she said.

"It still took me 50 minutes to get from Benton to Cape," she said. "But on the way back, I saw they had put up a highway sign to warn people that there had been an accident."

Firefighters remained at the scene until late in the evening to assist the haz-mat team. Police said the accident was expected to be cleared before midnight, with all lanes reopened for traffic.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160