A semi-rollover on U.S. Highway 160 west of Durango closed the highway in both directions just before 7 p.m., and it remained closed as of 11 p.m.
“It’s blocking several lanes,” Capt. Adrian Driscoll of the Colorado State Patrol said at 6:50 p.m. “We had to bring in a large wrecker.”
At 8:45 p.m., Driscoll said they discovered the semi was leaking diesel fuel, so Durango Fire Protection District had to patch the tank before the wrecker could lift it. He could not provide any estimate as to when the highway would open.
“About 10 gallons of diesel fuel leaked out, so Durango Fire has some cleanup to do, but it’s not a big hazardous-material situation,” Driscoll said.
At 9:40 p.m., Nancy Shanks, communications manager from the Colorado Department of Transportation, said all the hay that spilled from the semi had been pushed off the road. It is up to the carrier or its insurance company to remove any cargo, she said.
At about 10 p.m., according to the scanner, a request was made for sand, as they were not able to get all the fuel up and off the road, which was making for slick conditions. The road could not reopen until CDOT applied the sand.
Eastbound traffic was being detoured south through Hesperus on Colorado Highway 140 and across on Wildcat Canyon Road (County Road 141). Drivers headed west were instructed to follow the same route in the opposite direction.
The accident occurred about ¼-mile west of Mile Marker 78, east of Lake Durango.
Witnesses reported the semi’s brakes were smoking before the rollover, DFPD Battalion Chief Randy Black said. “They were still smoking when we got on the scene,” he said.
Trooper Uriah Talbot said the male driver, who was alone in the truck, had been riding his brakes coming down Hesperus Hill, and they failed, increasing his speed. The driver ended up taking a curve wide because of his excessive speed, Trooper Charlie Jones said, and when he overcorrected, the semi rolled. It slid more than 450 feet, and the trailer rode the guardrail, which it hit after rolling over, about 83 feet. The guardrail was damaged for the length of the 83 feet.
At about 10 p.m., dispatch was informed that CDOT would be on the scene much of the night installing temporary guardrails in the damaged area. CDOT will do its own traffic control, but drivers will need to be careful going through the area once the highway is reopened.
Black said the driver had a leg injury, but he did not need to be transported to Mercy Regional Medical Center.
“He was wearing a seatbelt, so he walked away,” Jones said.
The driver was cited for careless driving because he was riding his brakes, Talbot said.
The truck, which is licensed out of New Mexico, was carrying bales of hay, many of which were down in the ditch and scattered on the road.
abutler@durangoherald.com
