I-70 reopened after spill near Silverthorne
Summit Daily News
Aspen, CO Colorado
ALL |
SILVERTHORNE, Colo. – Interstate 70 was back open in both directions as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday following a chemical lime spill earlier in the morning.
Eastbound traffic was rerouted through Frisco and onto the Dillon Dam Road in the morning. Westbound lanes reopened at 11:30 a.m. The eastbound closure was pushed back to Vail at noon to keep traffic from stacking up at Frisco, officials said.
The highway closed after a flatbed truck dropped eight 50-pound bags of hydrated lime powder at mile marker 204 on the hill between Frisco and Silverthorne.
The substance is a corrosive chemical that can cause burns to the skin and eyes as well as lungs and respiratory passages if inhaled.
It is still unclear whether the spill could impact the Blue River, emergency officials said.
“We’re about a half-mile away from the Blue River,” Lake Dillon Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Lipsher said. “The Colorado State Patrol is sending a hazmat team up to help us evaluate the risk and figure out the likelihood of this reaching the river in any concentration great enough to endanger the … fishery.”
The spill is not considered to be a public health risk, according to Lipsher.
Lake Dillon, Copper Mountain Fire Department and Red, White and Blue Fire Protection teams responded to the scene to sweep up as much of the chemical as possible in full hazmat gear.
The semi-truck reportedly belongs to J Leya Trucking out of Fredrick.
The spill was not caused by any kind of accident and no serious injuries have been reported, officials said.
“There’s no crash,” state patrol spokesman Joshua Lewis said. “We’re not investigating anything like that.”
The driver allegedly pulled off at the Silverthorne exit when he noticed the spill, began to attempt to clean it up and suffered minor injuries from exposure to the chemical. He refused medical treatment, according to Lipsher.
A 65-year-old man was treated for lime exposure this morning at Summit Medical Center and has been released, a hospital spokesperson said.
It is unclear how he was involved in the spill.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Aspen and Snowmass Village make the Aspen Times’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.
User Legend: 
Moderator 
Trusted User
Aspen restaurants overwhelmed with gratitude for gift certificate support
Kenny and Robin Smith and their team at Meridian Jewelers have received hundreds of requests to participate in the initiative that will match restaurant gift certificate purchases up to $200 — and “it’s growing every minute.”
