Jericho Turnpike westbound reopens in Woodbury after tanker spill

All westbound lanes of Jericho Turnpike reopened to traffic late Thursday in Woodbury after a tanker truck containing nearly 3,000 gallons of heating oil overturned earlier, shutting down the roadway and another nearby.

The Nassau County Police Department said one eastbound lane of the turnpike had reopened. Woodbury Road remained closed from Piquets Lane to the turnpike, according to the police.

A traffic advisory had been issued just before 1 p.m. warning motorists of the road closures after the noontime spill.

In a news release, Nassau County Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said: "There was a catastrophic failure of the tank that occurred spilling what we estimate to be 2,800 gallons of Red Dyed, #2 Fuel Oil, onto the road and into the storm drains, and the spill extends down Woodbury Rd. And into Jericho Tpke,"

The fuel oil spilled into the nearby sewer and sump, Uttaro added. 

The Nassau Office of Emergency Management was on scene shortly after the accident, as was the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

"Southville Petroleum Corp, the owner of the tanker, has hired an environmental cleanup company to complete the cleanup of the roadway and associated drainage swale" a DEC spokesperson told Newsday via email on Thursday afternoon. "No impacts to groundwater or drinking water are anticipated. DEC will continue to monitor the progress of the cleanup to ensure protection of human health and the environment."

Southville Petroleum was not immediately available for comment late Thursday.

Uttaro said the oil was not flammable but still a safety and environmental cleanup concern. A contractor was responding and working under the authority of the DEC "to ensure proper cleanup," he said.

The Town of Huntington Highway Department applied sand to the road "and created dykes and berms around storm drains to prevent further spread of the spill," the DEC spokesperson said.

Nearby Walt Whitman Elementary School was not affected, but school officials were working with police to coordinate afternoon dismissal, Uttaro said. Three employees of a bank at Woodbury Road and Jericho Turnpike did evacuate, he said.

The Syosset Fire Department under the command of Chief William Sauberman responded, with mutual aid from the Hicksville Fire Department at the scene. About 30 firefighters were on scene.

Newsday's Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.