Route 3 in Billerica closed after tanker truck crash and fuel spill
UPDATE: Route 3 in Billerica fully re-opened in both directions early Thursday morning
BILLERICA - Route 3 in Billerica will be shut down overnight after a tanker truck crashed, rolled over and leaked fuel across the road Wednesday. Massachusetts State Police said that section of the highway will be closed for the "foreseeable future."
Late Wednesday night, Billerica Police said the highway will remain closed through the morning on Thursday.
A Tesla and a pickup truck were also involved in the crash, which happened in the northbound lanes just before 10 a.m.. The tanker was carrying "several thousand gallons of fuel," police said and much of it spilled.
"It sounded like a crash, not a bomb but something large in size smashing into something," said Charlie Ardell of Billerica.
Traffic on both sides of the highway between Treble Cove Road and Route 129 has been shut down for the cleanup and investigation. The ramps from Route 495 to Route 3 south are also closed. Late Wednesday night, the tanker truck was towed away while crews continue to work on cleaning up the fuel. Part of the road is also being repaved after being damaged in the crash.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said drivers should find other routes because there's no estimate when the highway will reopen. Traffic was backed up for miles Wednesday evening as vehicles were detoured around the area.
There's no official word yet on what caused the crash, but a viewer sent dashboard camera video of it to WBZ-TV. It showed the Tesla and the pickup truck colliding in the left lane. The pickup then slammed into the tanker, causing it to roll over.
"The driver of the tanker and the driver of one of the other vehicles involved sustained minor injuries," State Police said.
Northbound traffic is being detoured off at exit 78 and the southbound side at exit 79. Foam is being sprayed on the road to suppress the flammable vapors. Experts said the work to get the remaining oil out is tedious.
"They're going to offload it onto another tank truck so they can bring the damaged tank truck back up on its wheels to get it out of there," said Scott Turner of Accident & Incident Experts, LLC.
