NKyTribune staff
The Kentucky State Police and the Ohio Department of Transportation have released additional information on the spill Tuesday that impacted ao a large section of Interstate 75.
On Tuesday December 30 at approximately 5:43 a.m., the Kentucky State Police Dry Ridge Post received a call of a semi pulling a tanker trailer losing the material being carried traveling south on Interstate 471 in Campbell County.
Photos courtesy of Kentucky State Police
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Douglas Keeney, 47, of Springfield, Ohio, was operating a 2017 Freightliner pulling a dry bulk tank trailer loaded with dehydrated lime.
While traveling south on Interstate 75 in Ohio, for an unknown reason, the trailer received damage causing the material to spill onto the roadway.
The vehicle continued to spill its load for approximately 14 miles of interstate.
The Newport Police Department stopped Keeney’s vehicle along Interstate 471 in Campbell County with the right lane covered in lime.
The spill caused a road closure for several hours while crews cleaned up the lime.
The Ohio Department of Transportation reported that, as a result of the spill, various lane closures were in place Friday on Interstate 75 South, U.S. 50 East and the ramp to I-471 South for continued clean-up operations.
The responsible trucking company hired a cleaning crew to remove the residue and lane closures will remain in place until work is complete. Traffic was maintained during the moving cleanup operation.
Arrow boards and/or signs alerted motorists of the restrictions.
Kentucky State Police Sr. Officer Corey Payton investigated the incident with assistance from the Newport Police Department and the Kentucky Department of Transportation.
Those with vehicles that may have been impacted by the spill are instructed to contact local law enforcement agencies to provide information and receive guidance on how to proceed.
