Motorists driving through Detroit Monday morning using I-75 may need to use an alternate route following a massive tanker explosion Sunday that shut down a stretch of the interstate and sent gasoline into the city’s sewers.
A tanker truck carrying 9,000 gallons of unleaded fuel caught fire on the northbound I-75 bridge just outside downtown at about 8:45 a.m., producing tall flames and thick plumes of black smoke.
Traffic was stopped in both directions for several hours on I-75 and nearby I-375. The southbound lanes of I-75 and I-375 reopened around mid afternoon but a stretch of northbound I-75 from the Chrysler to the Fisher freeways remains closed.
The driver of the Nour Light Petroleum Transport truck escaped and there were no injuries, Michigan State Police First Lt.. Michael Shaw said. The fire happened on the overpass bridge in front of the Crain Communications building and was brought under control by fire crews within an hour.
The exact cause of the accident was not clear on Sunday. Shaw said the trucker told investigators mechanical problems caused his vehicle’s back tires to lock up and for the tanker to overturn.
The Michigan Department of Transportation said bridge inspectors were assessing the damage Sunday and had yet to determine Sunday the roadway will reopen, said spokeswoman Diane Cross. Also closed as of Sunday were all entrance ramps to I-375 northbound between Jefferson Ave. and Mack Ave.
Although some fuel flowed into the city of Detroit’s sewer system, the city’s water supply was not contaminated, said Curtrise Garner, spokeswoman for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.
Garner said she did not know how much fuel actually made it into the sewer system.
“There is absolutely no contamination at all,” she said. “We haven’t received any calls from residents saying that the water tastes weird or smells funny…. The gas is going through the system and we’re going to treat it. There is no harm to the environment.”