Thousands of gallons of gasoline shut down a major intersection in El Cajon in October and it’s still closed six weeks later. NBC 7 Investigates’ Alexis Rivas found out why.
Update Tuesday, Nov. 26:
- NBC 7 spoke with federal EPA on-scene coordinator Robert Wise
- The trucking company that owned the gasoline tanker, Coastal Transport Co., and its insurance, is paying for the environmental clean up
- About 2,000 gallons of gasoline made it through the stormwater pipes to Alvarado Creek behind the AAA before crews were able to stop the flow of petroleum and clean the site. They also installed equipment in the creek that collected any gasoline that resurfaced from the first rainfall after the spill.
- The EPA has been testing the air quality near the site of the gasoline spill and says it has not detected anything concerning
- The contaminated soil is being transported to a facility out of state
- The EPA will be on-site next week. The EPA hopes to complete soil excavation by the end of next week.
Blinking lights now serve as the only traffic direction for drivers in El Cajon where Navajo Road meets Fletcher Parkway. The entire northbound side of Fletcher Parkway is shut down to traffic for about a half-mile stretch heading toward the intersection. It’s been like this for more than six weeks.
A gasoline tanker truck crashed into the curb at the intersection on Oct. 9. The tanker flipped over, and spilled thousands of gallons of gasoline. It sparked evacuations for residents within 300 feet and a precautionary shutoff of power affecting dozens of businesses and homes. But since then, people who work and live near the intersection tell NBC 7 there has been little to no public notice about the work done to clean up and repair the sidewalk and street.
“It seems like it’s been months,” said La Mesa resident Fred Will.
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“I have no idea,” said Susan Rykowski. “All I know is I gotta go around it! That’s very upsetting when it's a major road that you use all the time.”
“I mean it’s been seven weeks,” said Jennifer Paderewski, who works as a hair stylist and cosmetologist at The Hills Salon, just up the street from the site of the tanker crash. “Even on the first day, nobody came and told us what’s going on. They literally just cut our power about an hour after the accident happened.”
NBC 7 reached out to the City of El Cajon to ask about the impact of the tanker crash, what crews have done to repair the area so far, and when the city anticipates reopening the roadway.
A spokesman for city sent NBC 7 this statement:
"City of El Cajon staff continues to monitor the unprecedented environmental cleanup efforts taking place at the intersection of Fletcher Parkway and Navajo Road. Last month, a tanker tipped at the intersection, releasing 8,800 gallons of gasoline into the City’s storm water system and soils at the intersection. Since that time, the Federal EPA has been actively monitoring and directing cleanup up efforts by the trucking company’s contractor. This cleanup effort has required the removal of City sidewalks, storm water pipes, a portion of the street, and the traffic signal at the intersection.
The cleanup efforts has impacted traffic at the intersection. As the contractor removes soil, the soil is placed in bins which is then trucked offsite for safe disposal. This work has required a large volume of truck traffic and onsite staging of bins on Fletcher Parkway, necessitating the full closure of northbound Navajo Road during construction hours. While the City has not received a timeline for the full restoration of the intersection, it is anticipated to continue through the holidays."
“They’re major roads that you use everyday and we should have had some knowledge about that,” said Rykowski.
“It’s affected a good number of people,” said Paderewski. “Especially on a daily basis. This is a busy neighborhood. We’ve got multiple stores in this center. And it’s just hard. People like to know what’s going on, especially in their neighborhood. And where they work. And where their kids go to school.”
