Crime & Safety
Oil Spill on L.I.E. Slows Memorial Day Travels
A jack-knifed tractor trailer spurted enough gasoline from its fuel tank to slick several hundred yards of the L.I.E., according to NYPD.
Holiday travel plans were off to a slippery start on the westbound L.I.E. on Monday morning, as a lane was closed to traffic for several hours, following an oil spill.
NYPD on the scene near Bell Blvd. and the Horace Harding entrance ramp said the slick was caused by the burst fuel tank of a jack-knifed tractor trailer at around 7:30a.m.
"With the rain this morning, this area was like an ice rink," said an officer on the scene. "We had to shut it down," he added.
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The DOT had dumped at least one truck of sand to absorb the spilt oil, but at more was still needed at 9:45a.m. DOT workers on the scene had no estimate of when the next truck might arrive, or when the lane could open.
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