CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Workers continue with cleanup of the gas spill at the Bourne Rotary.
BOURNE – Some of the gasoline that spilled from a tanker at the Bourne Rotary last night has ended up in the Cape Cod Canal.
Approximately 5,000 gallons of fuel spilled into the rotary and surrounding storm drains. Environmental officials say they do not yet know how much fuel has reached the canal.
“There is an issue of that some of the gasoline that spilled as well as some of the foam used did get into the canal. Most of that gasoline went into the soil in the infield of the rotary and that will be addressed by removing the contaminated soil, but some did get into the nearby catch basins which lead to the storm drain system and there are some discharge points from the storm drain system into the canal,” Ed Coeletta, spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said.
The tractor trailer carrying 11,500 gallons of fuel overturned after heading over the Bourne Bridge at about 11 o’clock last night, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio.
The truck continued to leak its cargo of fuel out of the hatches at the top of the tank until about 3 a.m., according to Procopio.
SEAN WALSH/CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Police and cleanup crews on the scene at the Bourne Rotary as cleanup continues on the gas spill.
Coeletta said officials are flushing out the storm drains to prevent the possibility of an explosion. “When you get gasoline in a confined system like a storm drain system, there is the possibility of an explosive levels of vapors in there, so once all the booms are placed at the discharge sites in the canal, the plan is to use water and other materials to flush through the storm drain system,” he said.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is monitoring the clean up to assess the spill and oversee cleanup, Coeletta said.
The Bourne Bridge and the rotary were both closed from the time of the crash until about 9:15 a.m., more than 10 hours after the crash.
First on-scene along with state police were Bourne firefighters and firefighters from the Otis Air Force Base. Otis apparatus laid fire suppressant foam onto the spilled fuel as a precaution.
The State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section responded to examine the truck’s mechanical systems.
SEAN WALSH/CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Cars back up as they travel on Cape over the Bourne Bridge at about 2 p.m.
Some traffic was allowed to travel from Route 28 onto Sandwich Road, a quarter of the way around the rotary, beginning at about 7 this morning. Traffic backed up on Sandwich Road and on the mainland side of the bridge as all traffic was diverted to the Sagamore Bridge during the morning commute.
Throughout the morning, the tanker was on its side in the middle of the rotary.
“Because of the condition of the truck and the large amount of foam that has been laid atop it, we have not yet been able to determine the name of the company that owns it,” Procopio reported early this morning at 12:30 a.m. The truck owner was later reported to be DJ Cronin Inc. of Seakonk. Cronin did not return a call for comment this morning.
The driver of the truck, Thomas B. Medeiros, a 47-year-old Westport man, was initially trapped in the cab of the truck but was able to tree himself. Bourne Emergency Medical Services staff transported him to Tobey Hospital in Wareham for what police said were believed to be minor injuries.
Police said the tractor cab of the truck is owned by TBM Trucking of Westport, a company with the same address as the driver, Medeiros.
State police reported that their preliminary investigation showed the tanker had crossed the Bourne Bridge heading south. After making it over the bridge, the tanker did not turn into the rotary but instead continued straight, jumped the curb and struck the embankment. The tractor and the tank it was pulling both turned over onto their right sides, causing the fuel cargo to pour out into the rotary.
The truck was put upright and removed from the rotary at about 8 a.m. The Bourne Bridge was partly reopened at 9:15 a.m., according to state police, with both travel lanes heading onto the Cape open and the right travel lane heading off-Cape open.
By 11:30 a.m., the soil cleanup process had started, according to police.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police with assistance from the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section.
The result of the investigation will determine whether charges are warranted.
