Overturned tanker shuts down Route 1 in Delaware County, spilling 2,000 gallons of heating oil

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

A tanker truck crash shut down both directions of the Route 1 Media Bypass in Upper Providence Township, Delaware County for several hours Monday, after the vehicle overturned and spilled thousands of gallons of home heating oil.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m., when the northbound tanker lost control and rolled across a bridge, according to Upper Providence Fire Marshal Alan Mancill.

“Evidently, he was heading northbound here and lost control, and the truck did roll across the bridge,” Mancill said. “They said numerous times, but nobody has been able to determine how many times the truck has rolled.”

When the vehicle came to a stop, the cab was left hanging over the cement barrier of the bridge, and the tank had ruptured.

“Large gaping holes in the tank, and approximately 2,000 gallons of home heating oil had run out of the tank onto the bridge and down the side of the bridge and mostly to the dirt areas down below,” Mancill said.

The crash caused a major traffic disruption in the area, with both northbound and southbound lanes closed for hours.

The southbound lanes reopened shortly after the overturned tanker was removed around 3:30 p.m., while cleanup of the toxic spill delayed the reopening of the northbound lanes until 6:30 p.m.

The driver, who suffered unspecified injuries, was able to free himself from the cab and is being treated at Lankenau Hospital. His condition has not been released.

Some of the spilled fuel reached Ridley Creek, which is accessed by a nearby Aqua Water Company facility.

However, crews quickly contained the scene, and the company reported no impact to drinking water or water operations.