AUGUSTA — The tractor-trailer crash Sunday night on Interstate 95 in Augusta forced the temporary closure of the northbound lanes between exits 109 and 112A.
One lane reopened early Monday morning, but the other remained closed.
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The wreck, which took place about 10 p.m. Sunday on the Bond Brook overpass, caused diesel fuel and oil to leak from the wreckage of the truck.
No injuries were reported, and northbound traffic was diverted to the Western Avenue exit and then to Leighton Road to avoid the crash site.
A 30-foot-long section of guardrail on the overpass bridge was destroyed, and the bridge is expected to remain one lane “for some time,” according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The impact of the crash ripped the front axle from the truck, and the axle fell below to Bond Brook Road, which is under the interstate. The crash also ripped open the truck’s fuel tanks, spilling fuel on the road.
Brian Tarbuck, superintendent of the Greater Augusta Utility District, said district officials decided, as a precaution, to shut down a drinking water well just below the Bond Brook overpass where the truck crashed.
The district has three wells, including the one that was shut down around 8 a.m. Monday. Tarbuck said the remaining two wells can meet the district’s needs for water for a few days.
“We don’t believe there is any contamination,” Tarbuck said. “We’ll leave the well off today and tomorrow just as a precaution. It doesn’t look like there are going to be any long-term effects.”
Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials were on the scene Sunday night and worked with Department of Transportation employees to contain the spill of fluids from the truck.
Peter Blanchard, director of response services for the DEP, said about 120 gallons of diesel spilled on the roadway. Sand and gravel were spread on the road to absorb as much of the spilled fuel as possible, and absorbent pads were placed to block drains on the bridge.
Blanchard said the sand and gravel would be collected and disposed of Monday.
He said he does not believe the utility district’s well or Bond Brook were contaminated by fluids from the accident.
Blanchard said the district shut down the well as a precaution, not because contamination is believed to have occurred.
“We’ll have a better look at it today during daylight hours, and if need be, we’ll test the well to make sure nothing’s there,” he said Monday.
Maine DOT workers were at the crash site late Monday morning, replacing the guardrail on the bridge destroyed in the crash with temporary concrete barriers.
Maine State Police identified the driver of the truck as Anna Tronscosco-Williams, 22, of Indiana. She was driving an empty tractor-trailer when she lost control on the icy roadway and struck the guardrails. She was not injured, and no charges were filed.
McCausland said the tractor portion of the rig was destroyed, and the combined damage to the truck and bridge will likely be several hundred thousand dollars.
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