CLEANUP OF GAS SPILL NEAR BENTON KEEPS I-55 TO SINGLE LANE OF TRAFFIC

BENTON -- Dirt removal could continue for another couple weeks along Interstate 55, slowing traffic down to one southbound lane as cleanup from a June 11 gasoline spill continues.

With 48 truckloads of dirt removed last week, that part of the job is half finished, said Jackson Bostic, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources.

Samples of dirt and water continue to be checked to find the level of contamination from the 8,000 gallons of gasoline spilled when a driver lost control of a tanker truck on June 11.

Out of six soil samples drawn, only two have shown a detectable amount of gasoline, Bostic said. Other samples have not registered trace amounts.

In the meantime, the southbound portion of I-55 just south of Benton will have only one lane open between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. while contractors finish their work, an official from the Missouri Department of Transportation said.

For now, MoDOT is planning that the interstate will narrow to one lane at least through Friday.

Sgt. Brent Davis warned that the state Highway Patrol will monitor speeds in the area.