Southbound I-15 reopens after tanker truck crash, explosion

By Kyle B. Hansen

Published Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 | 7:12 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 | 3:15 p.m.

Southbound Interstate 15 in the northern valley reopened nearly 11 hours after a fuel tanker truck rolled over and exploded near the Lake Mead Boulevard interchange.

Although all lanes of the road are open, some of the repairs are only temporary and the Nevada Transportation Department will be closing some lanes next week to repair the road.

The truck crashed shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday in the southbound lanes of the highway between the Lake Mead Boulevard off-ramp and the Owens Avenue overpass, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Jeremie Elliott said.

The fuel tanker truck overturned and burst into flames, but the driver escaped unharmed, Elliott said. It’s unclear what caused the accident.

The truck, which was carrying 9,100 gallons of unleaded fuel, was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived.

“Unfortunately, the damage to the roadway is a little greater than we thought,” Elliott said.

Troopers initially closed both sides of the highway, but the northbound lanes of I-15 reopened at 5:30 a.m., leaving the southbound lanes closed from the northern Las Vegas Beltway to D Street.

Troopers closed that seven-mile stretch of highway to avoid motorists being stuck for hours as the cleanup continued, Elliott said.

The road was reopened between the beltway and Cheyenne Avenue about noon and was completely reopened shortly before 3 p.m.

Transportation Department crews used sweepers to clear debris, then applied temporary seals to cracks in the road, spokeswoman Michelle Booth said.

The department is preparing an emergency contract to hire a company to mill away and replace the damaged pavement. The repairs will cost $100,000 to $150,000.

That work will take place at night to minimize traffic problems, officials said.

Trucking companies are required by the U.S. Transportation Department to have insurance. The company involved in today’s crash is insured and will be billed for the cleanup and repairs, Booth said.

The Nevada Transportation Department also had to use a hazardous materials contractor to assist in the cleanup.

Officials weren’t immediately able to assess the extent of the damage and initially believed they would have to keep three lanes of the road closed for days for the repairs to be made, which would leave just two lanes of the busy freeway available to motorists.

But road crews were able to use the temporary seal to cover the cracks and reopen the lanes until permanent repairs are made.

The Nevada Transportation Department also took advantage of the closure to do graffiti cleanup in areas that normally would require traffic control, Booth said.

The Regional Transportation Commission’s Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation used dynamic message signs on the freeway as well as on Craig Road and Las Vegas Boulevard to warn motorists to avoid the freeway, spokeswoman Tracy Bower said.

They also worked with the Utah Transportation Department to post warnings on southbound I-15 signs near St. George.

In addition, traffic signal technicians in the field and at the Traffic Management Center spent time adjusting signal timing to help traffic flow on Cheyenne Avenue, Craig Road, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Las Vegas Boulevard as well as on portions of the freeway that remained open.

— Sun reporter Jackie Valley contributed to this report.