MILTON, W.Va. — Police and the state Division of Highways reopened all east and westbound lanes of Interstate 64 Friday afternoon at just after 3 p.m. some 12 hours after a propane tanker truck wrecked between Milton and Barboursville.
Traffic on the detour, U.S. Route 60, was bumper to bumper and slow moving for most of those 12 hours.
The cleanup was problematic as crews tried to transfer the propane from the wrecked tanker to an empty one. The wrecked tanker had turned on its side where the valves to release the propane are located. Tow trucks had to lift the trailer to enable the offload of the fuel to another tanker. .
There were considerations being given to burning off the leftover propane, but it was decided that would complicate the process.
“The quicker way would be to burn it off, but with that option, you have to have a wider safety net,” Bly said. “You could be looking at evacuations or things like that and other agencies will have to step in and make that call. We aren’t there yet.”
The driver of the tanker has been identified as Robert Wade, believed to be in his 50s, of South Point, Ohio. He is in critical condition at a Huntington hospital Friday afternoon.
Police said it appeared Wade may have gone off the interstate and then over corrected losing control of the vehicle.