Thursday, 4:30 PM
Tanker wreck shuts down Mass. Pike
By Elizabeth Raftery, Globe correspondent
After 10 hours, traffic started moving on the Massachusetts Turnpike after crews from the State Police, Hopkinton Fire Department, Department of Environmental Protection, and other agencies worked to remove an overturned tanker that shut down east-west artery.
The tanker was carrying liquid methane when it collided with a 2003 Infiniti sedan on the Pike westbound just west of Exit 11A, rolled on to its side and blocked all three westbound lanes around 8:35 a.m. The truck and car drivers sustained minor injuries and were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
The highway was closed in both directions between Exit 10 in Auburn and Exit 12 in Framingham until 6:45 p.m. During the day, eastbound traffic was being diverted to Route 290 in Auburn and westbound vehicles to Route 9 in Framingham.
Although no methane was leaked in the accident, it had to be transferred to another truck before the vehicle could be moved.
Transgas, which owns the tanker, issued a statement that said in part: "The trailer portion of the truck is a double-walled vacuum insulated container, constructed similar to a thermos bottle. The design of the truck provides a strong and rigid protective layer to prevent the cargo from leaking in circumstances like this.
"There is an empty trailer truck on the scene currently transferring the cargo and that work is ongoing. An emergency team from Transgas has been on the scene."
