Tar-Like Substance Covers Cars For 39-Mile Stretch On Pennsylvania Turnpike

PITTSBURGH PA Numerous drivers found themselves in a sticky situation Tuesday night when a tar-like substance leaked on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, damaging countless vehicles and snarling traffic for a nearly 40-mile stretch.

Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesman Bill Capone said a tanker carrying driveway sealant began leaking around New Castle and continued to spill the fluid for 39 miles until it exited the turnpike at the Oakmont Plum service plaza.

Capone said the driver did not realize the truck was leaking until he got out at the plaza. State police at the Gibsonia station are still investigating and do not know if any charges will be filed.

Traffic was obstructed in the eastbound lanes of the turnpike between the New Castle and Allegheny Valley exits (mileposts 10.7-47.7), according to an alert on the turnpike's website .

"Initially, they were literally trying to plow this material off the roadway, and they did that to a point, but most recently they've moved to just putting down sand," said Capone. "This stuff will eventually dry. Now, that doesn't help all the people that got some of this material on their cars, and we know there are many of those. We've gotten a lot of reports of drivers being disabled along the turnpike."

Channel 4 Action News received numerous calls to its newsroom from drivers stuck in the mess. Some of the motorists said the tar was eating through their tires.

"We got on the turnpike and we noticed all these cars pulled over and our car was driving rough, and it was like it was going in to a flat," said Lynn Snitzer, of Fox Chapel.

Tow truck driver Tony Armenti said it's not only a messy situation, but a costly one as well.

"That tire's gonna have to be replaced. The rim's gonna have to be replaced, and the rest is gonna have to be taken off," said Armenti.

Many drivers said the timing couldn't have been any worse with the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

"This is Thanksgiving. Now we have to turn around and go back home," said Laura Frick, who was traveling from Cleveland to New Jersey. "It's horrible."

Perhaps North Hills resident Bruce Kephart summed up the frustration shared by drivers best.

"It's been a long day for me," he said. "(I'm) a little frustrated and I wish I was home with my kids, but I'm sitting here in the rain looking at tar on my tires."

An official count of vehicles affected was not immediately available, but some motorists estimated it to be in the hundreds.

Capone estimated on Wednesday morning that about 95 percent of the affected area of the turnpike has been cleaned. He said there may be a few small clumps left that will be picked up during the day, but drivers should not experience any problems or lane closures.

Plows were used to remove the tar-like substance from the road. Traffic was shut down for awhile to allow plows to move through the area and make the lanes passable.

People whose cars were damaged should call Travelers Insurance at 800-842-9897 and ask for the auto department. Capone said anybody who experiences a problem with the insurance company should call the turnpike commission at 800-331-3414 and they will intervene if necessary.

The truck that leaked the fluid belongs to Marino Transportation Service in Stevensville, Md.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Tar-Like
• Substance
• Covers
• Cars
• Pennsylvania
• Turnpike

[TJC450]

@SorrowsShadow Well thats good to hear!

I wonder if everything was covered by the company lol

[SorrowsShadow]

@TJC450 Not ours but for some people it did. You know it is bad when big 18 wheelers can't go. We saw 2 of them very badly clogged with it. I never found out how badly the other cars still stranded along the Turn Pike were damaged.

[TJC450]

@SorrowsShadow did it get up in your engine?

[SorrowsShadow]

My Daughter and I drove through this last night. The damage was actually worse than this leads one to believe. Some cars were so badly damaged they had to be towed away. The nearest Travel Plaza was backed up with cars and trucks all the way to the road. We slowed down but could not change lanes because so many were flying past us in the left lane making a dangerous situation worse.How could they not see something was terribly wrong?

[a4Audi2153]

1st comment!