Updated on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 at 11 a.m.
All lanes of Interstate 79 South near the Goshen Road exit between Fairmont and Morgantown are back open following quick repair to damage caused by an acid spill.
A tractor-trailer carrying a strong acid overturned in a work zone near the Goshen Road Exit at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. No one was injured, but a large amount of acid was spilled on the roadway.
Following hazardous material crews cleaning up the acid, crews worked around the clock to dig up and repave about 500 feet of asphalt. The acid severely damaged the road. The road reopened at approximately 2:30 a.m., Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
Original Story
A tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 79 South between Monongalia and Marion counties, spilling strong acid onto the highway and halting traffic.
All lanes of traffic are currently closed near the I-79 Goshen Road exit, just south of Morgantown. The area will remain closed until Friday or Saturday, according to a Thursday press release from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT).
The spill occurred around 1 p.m. Wednesday. No injuries have been reported, but crews are still cleaning up the hazardous material.
Earl Gaskins, who oversees the region as a local district manager for the West Virginia Division of Highways, said in the Thursday press release that the acid severely damaged the roadway.
Crews must dig up and repave 500 feet of asphalt along the southbound lanes, he said.
The WVDOT said the area will remain closed to traffic for 24 to 48 hours. For the time being, drivers will be detoured off the highway near the Goshen Road highway, then rerouted back onto I-79.
For live updates on the status of major West Virginia roadways, visit the WVDOT’s WV511 informational webpage.