US-127 Closed Following Tanker Spill

LANSING (WWJ) - UPDATE 7:43 p.m. One lane of northbound US-127 is open. Southbound is completely closed, and is not expected to open until Tuesday morning.

EARLIER - It looks like it may be Tuesday before US-127 south of Lansing will re-open following an accident early Monday morning.

A private company was hauling tar sealant in a tanker that wrecked around 5:30 a.m. near Mason. The driver suffered minor injuries.

Kari Arend, with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the liquid is used mainly for patchwork and resurfacing on county roads.

"It's something like tar. It's called an asphalt emulsion ... We use it as kind of a base before we go in and do an asphalt resurfacing of the roadway," Arend said.

They need to clear it from the road before it dries and presents an entirely different dilemma.

"Definitely, there is a time component with this, that we obviously want to get this off the roadway as soon as possible," Arend.

Drivers are being rerouted to the service drive until US-127 reopens, which Arend said could be as late as Tuesday.

The driver of that tanker, 60-year-old  Dennis Hebert ,of Macomb. was treated and released from Sparrow Hospital for minor injuries. Alcohol is not a factor in the crash, according to the Sheriff's Office.

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