Tanker truck crash results in tarry spill

Accident stopped traffic on Route 73 in Keene on Monday

By Eric Teed

A tanker truck overturned Monday on Route 73 in Keene, between where Route 73 meets with Route 9 and Chapel Pond.

The accident and spill happened around 3 p.m. and closed traffic in both directions on the key High Peaks roadway. The road is now reopened and clean-up work continued on Tuesday.

A tanker truck overturned Monday on Route 73 in Keene, between the intersection with Route 9 and Chapel Pond. Photos by Eric Teed

Essex County police, fire, and emergency services radio said the driver sustained an arm injury.

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The 3,000-gallon tanker was leaking a product similar to driveway sealant from a hole the size of a softball. Sealant ran along the side of the road. HazMat crews brought in sand and deployed other barriers to contain the spill.

Essex County Emergency Services Director Matthew Watts confirmed the substance spilled was tack coat, a bonding agent used in paving projects. “Our main concern is the river to the north.”

Hazmat crews used sand barriers and booms to contain the spill of truck coat, similar to driveway sealant, from reaching the North Fork of the Bouquet River, which is down an embankment north of the crash site. — Hazmat crews used sand barriers and booms to contain the spill of tack coat, similar to driveway sealant, from reaching the North Fork of the Bouquet River, which is down an embankment north of the crash site. Photo by Eric Teed

Watts called the spill “significant” but it was contained quickly and the amount of material that reached the waterway was minimal. He added that “quick actions by fire personnel helped mitigate the environmental impact.”

Watts also said that a UPS driver was the first on the scene and “got him out of the truck to safety and saved him from serious injury.”

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