Elliot Ferguson/The Whig-Standard
The eastbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed for much of Thursday after a fiery early morning crash that resulted in about 1,000 litres of fuel being spilled onto the highway between Montreal Street and Highway 15 on Thursday. The closure created severe congestion in the city’s downtown as drivers looked for alternative routes around the crash site.
Ian MacAlpine/The Whig-Standard
Detoured eastbound Highway 401 traffic heads along Highway 2 near Royal Military College on Thursday morning after a tractor-trailer caught fire overnight on the eastbound Highway 401 between Montreal Street and Highway 15.
According to an OPP news release, the vehicle struck a concrete barrier, causing a fuel spill that resulted in a fire that destroyed both the tractor and trailer.
The cleanup took more than 12 hours and closed the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 at Montreal Street.
Traffic was diverted through downtown Kingston, across the LaSalle Causeway, then north up Highway 15 through most of the day Thursday.
The Ministry of the Environment was managing the fuel cleanup and the Ministry of Transportation was assessing any damage to the road because of the fire.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured and charges are not anticipated, OPP Const. Curtis Dick said.
Ontario Provincial Police Photo/Supplied Photo
The remnants of a tractor-trailer that caught fire overnight on Thursday on the eastbound Highway 401 between Montreal Street and Highway 15 near Kingston.
Source: The Kingston Whig-Standard