Montreal motorists on Highway 40 were in for a surprise Tuesday morning as the busy highway got an unintentional makeover.
The new look was created thanks to a transport truck carrying a load of white paint.
Quebec’s transport ministry told Global News it appears the containers in which the paint was stored were leaking, causing the paint to spill onto the road covering all three eastbound lanes.
The spill happened during the peak of the morning rush hour at around 7:45 a.m. near the Côte-Vertu exit in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough.
Eastbound Highway 40 was closed following the unexpected paint job, but not before several vehicles rolled on through helping spread the mess across all three lanes.
“We are talking of something between 10,000 and 20,000 litres of white paint,” said Transports Québec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun, adding that the unlikely canvas stretches on for roughly 300 metres.
As of noon, Highway 40 East remained closed between Côte-Vertu and Cavendish, as crews proceeded with the difficult task of cleaning up.
Transports Quebec said it didn’t know how long the cleanup would take describing the task as a “complex operation.”
“We have water tankers on site, pumps, mechanical sweepers, vacuums — in order to wet the road, clean it and vacuum the paint,” Bensadoun said.
She explained how drainage systems in the area were also closed off to ensure no spillage in the pipes.
Bensadoun said the closure would likely affect the afternoon rush hour.
The lanes, she said, would only reopen once it was safe to do so, adding it meant making sure markings on the road were visible.
Meanwhile, the trucking company involved said it is investigating and that it would be reviewing dashcam footage to get a better understanding of what happened.
Yves Poirier, the president of Minimax Express Transportation, told Global News that it appears his driver may have been cut off by a vehicle, causing him to come to a complete stop. That in turn may have caused the container to hit a wall inside the truck leading to the spill.
Quebec provincial police are also investigating the matter and trying to determine whether the paint was properly secured inside the truck.
Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Stéphane Tremblay said the driver could receive a ticket if it wasn’t.
In a social media post, the Transport Ministry indicated that the highway was completely reopened to traffic at around 4 p.m.
— With files from Global News’ Felicia Parrillo
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