Cleanup, detours continue at site of deadly SR 8 crash
MACEDONIA, Ohio (WJW) — State Route 8 South remained closed on Monday following a fiery crash that killed a 31-year-old truck driver from Ashtabula on Saturday.
The crash happened Saturday morning. Authorities said Jason Thomas Stevens, who was hauling 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel, exited state Route 8 from the northbound lanes onto a ramp at the merger with Interstate 271.
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At the top of the ramp, Stevens’ truck went over the side of the flyover bridge and onto the southbound lanes of state Route 8 below, where it burst into flames.
Stevens, who was identified on Monday, died of injuries related to the crash, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office.
On Monday, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation said a part of the pavement at the crash site had to be repaired before the highway could be reopened.
“We are going to have to mill off a portion of the roadway and put brand new material on that bridge and on that road as well, and so once that is done, state Route 8 southbound between Highland Road and East Hines Hill Road will be open for people to travel on,” said Ray Marsch.
A preliminary assessment of damage to the bridge revealed no significant structural damage, but Marsch said the ramp would remain closed until a final report is issued.
“Everything is dependent on these inspection reports. We will never jeopardize safety for convenience. And we understand that this is a major impact to Northeast Ohio, having these ramps closed, but we really need to get the full inspection report to determine what work needs to be done before we can reopen these roadways,” he added.
Also on Monday, contractors hired by the trucking company were working to contain and clean up any environmental damage at the site.
At the crash site, state Route 8 traverses over the Brandywine Creek.
The head of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said it is not possible to know how much fuel flowed into the creek itself, where the EPA over the weekend placed buoys to collect any contamination at the site.
“There was a release to the air in terms of the fire, so we don’t know how much was burned off and how much was spilled,” said Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel. “And because of the rain event that was occurring, the creeks are moving very fast. Brandywine is a large body of water, as is the Cuyahoga, so it’s impossible to know how much volume we are talking about.”
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Answering FOX 8 questions on Monday afternoon, Vogel said she was not concerned about contamination downstream, believing whatever fuel may have washed downstream would have dissipated. She also said she is unaware of any fish kills or impact to wildlife in the area.
A separate contractor was also hired to clean up any ground contamination at the site of the crash.
“We have removed several roll-off boxes of soil, so our emergency response folks were there identifying where there was impacted soil with diesel, as well soil that was saturated with the diesel that was spilled, and so that is also being removed,” said Vogel.
ODOT knows the closure of the lanes is a significant frustration to drivers accustomed to using that route for their daily commutes.
Detours are posted to route people around the area, and ODOT said the closures — particularly on the ramp and bridge — could remain for at least a couple more days, when the final inspection report is completed.
“Eighteen-thousand vehicles use state Route 8 every single day in this interchange, so it’s a highly traversed area. A lot of folks are going to and from, so there are delays in place. Just plan ahead, follow the posted detours,” said Marsch.
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