All westbound lanes along Route 14 at Hart Road in Barrington were re-opened Friday afternoon ahead of the evening commute after crews successfully cleaned a chemical spill caused by a crash late Tuesday, village officials said.
Both westbound lanes had been closed since early Wednesday evening, causing traffic detours in the area through the latter part of the week until officials opened one westbound lane early Friday morning.
The lane closures and traffic delays started after a crash was reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. A semitrailer, carrying a chemical compound, slammed into the back end of a pickup while it was moving forward after sitting at a traffic light that had just turned green, authorities have said.
Chemicals spilled across Route 14, near Hart Road, forcing cleanup crews to work all day Wednesday amid strong winds and also all day Thursday. Officials have identified the spilled chemical as methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, which is used to produce polyurethane, said Barrington spokeswoman Patty Dowd Schmitz.
“There are no delays in the cleanup and it’s progressing exactly as planned,” she said Thursday, adding how the winds have helped dissipate the chemical compound. “It’s a time-intensive effort.”
Village officials have said the substance, which can be an allergen and an irritant, does not pose a threat to public safety.
Moments after the collision, the semitrailer was engulfed in fire, officials have said.
But only the driver of a pickup truck and a passenger were taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, Dowd Schmitz has said.
During the cleanup work Wednesday and Thursday, traffic was rerouted north on Hart Road to Cuba Road, village officials have said.
The Illinois Department of Transportation also ordered a revised truck detour, sending trucks north to Route 59 and then west on Route 22 before returning to Route 14. With one westbound lane reopened Friday, the truck detour route also ended, village officials said.
George Krebs, a duty officer for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, has said the spill poses “no risk to public drinking water supply, to area surface water or to the public.”
“The impact has not migrated outside the containment zone,” he said.
Eastgate Road in Crystal Lake still remains closed Friday between Factory Road and Commercial Road, where the semitrailer and pickup truck were towed to Whitney’s Towing, 710 Eastgate Road, officials said.
tshields@pioneerlocal.com
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