SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, April 27, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials in Summit County continue to warn people away from the area of a toxic spill from a semi-truck rollover more than a week ago.
The rollover accident April 19, on Interstate 80 in Silver Creek Canyon near the Tollgate exit at milepost 150, initially closed the highway in both directions until well into the next day, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
Tollgate residents were initially asked to shelter in place and stay indoors, a restriction lifted later that same day, although roads in and out of Tollgate remained closed.
By April 20, restrictions had been relaxed as cleanup progressed, although caution was urged for motorists with some partial road closures still in place.
As of Wednesday, a 100-yard section of the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail near the Tollgate overpass is still closed.
That area “will remain closed through Friday and potentially until Monday while excavation work takes place,” according to a joint press release Wednesday from the Summit County Health Department and the Utah Department of Environmental Health.
“Booms in the drainage did well to prevent spread due to the previous weekend’s precipitation,” the release said. “Soil samples were taken to determine the depth the substance reached. The focus for the rest of the week is on removing contaminated soils.”
Caution is urged particularly with off-leash pets as the organic peroxide in the water poses a potentially lethal danger to the animals.
