The eastbound lane of U.S. Highway 64 between Ocoee and Ducktown, Tennessee, could be reopened late Friday if enough progress is made on the cleanup from Tuesday’s fuel tanker spill, officials said.
The westbound lane was reopened Thursday morning, while the eastbound lane remained closed as cleanup continued after Tuesday’s crash that spilled more than 5,000 gallons of fuel into the water, Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer Flynn said Thursday.
A crew from Chattanooga-based hazardous materials cleanup company Marion Environmental Inc. will try to complete the work Friday, Flynn said, but bad weather could slow efforts.
“The environmentalists are going to reassess their progress on the cleanup on Friday, and if they don’t think they made enough progress, they may close one lane for the weekend to continue their work,” Flynn said.
But the traffic backup has not been bad – a few minutes delay – since one lane was reopened, Flynn said. The company needs the other lane for equipment and personnel to have room to work.