OPP closed off Highway 406 in St. Catharines between Glendale and Westchester Avenues on Wednesday afternoon due to a roadway acid spill.
In a social media post, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said a transport truck with a load of hydrochloric acid began to deteriorate and leak on to the 406 during the noon hour.
“We have 9,000 kilograms of hydrochloric acid that needs to be off loaded before we can reopen the highways,” Schmidt said on Twitter.
No one was injured in the incident.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) says its enforcement and maintenance staff as well as a team from the Ministry of the Environment did attend the scene, including a hazmat and clean-up crew.
The MTO is investigating potential damage to highway infrastructure.
Clean up crews were on sight through the overnight and Thursday morning.
A ministry of the environment (MOE) spokes person says part of the repair includes spreading a “neutralizing powder” on affected areas.
“The integrity of the highway infrastructure will be assessed prior to opening the northbound lanes,” MOE spokesperson Gary Wheeler told Global News.
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“The ministry will ensure that any waste is properly identified and managed and that those responsible for the spilled material take all reasonable steps to clean-up any impacts to the environment.”
Wheeler says the cleanup contractor deployed a wash truck and tanker and has been flushing impacted sections of the storm sewer.
The wash water is being pumped into the tanker truck for removal.
As of early Thursday, the southbound 406 was open to traffic, while northbound lanes remained closed.
OPP say the reopening of the northbound lanes is likely not going to happen until Thursday afternoon.
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