Hwy. 22 lane to close for tanker crash clean-up
Travelers can expect delays soon on state Highway 22 in the Santiam Canyon. The highway eight miles east of Idanha (milepost 62.5) will be down to one lane starting July 23 so crews can finish the cleanup of contaminated soil caused when a tanker carrying unleaded gasoline crashed last December, killing a Redmond man.
The lane will be closed 24/7 until August 30, with two-way traffic controlled by flaggers.
The tanker was carrying 11,000 gallons of gasoline when it crashed on December 15. A Redmond man, Ronald Scurlock, 58, died in the fiery rollover crash on the icy highway.
The subsequent fire and fuel spill closed the road for several days. While some of the fuel burned off, a significant quantity entered the surrounding environment including the North Santiam River. The soil around the site was only partially cleaned up in order to get the road open as soon as possible. The plan was to return during the summer construction season to finish the cleanup.
NWFF Environmental, a company that specializes in hazardous waste removal and cleanup, will finish removing the contaminated soil along the highway embankment adjacent to the North Santiam River. ODOT is working closely with all of the regulatory agencies including the Department of Environmental Quality, federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service, which owns the land next to the road.
The work will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Two-way traffic will be controlled by both flaggers. Travelers can expect up to 20 minute delays.
