Diesel Spill Closes I-64 West Lee Street Ramp in Charleston, Could Last Into Evening Commute

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — If your drive home tonight usually starts on the Lee Street ramp onto Interstate 64 West in Charleston, you’re going to want a Plan B. A diesel spill has shut that entrance ramp down, and it could stay closed into the evening.

The spill was reported around 10:10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, on the westbound Lee Street entrance ramp near mile marker 58, according to the West Virginia Division of Highways. The ramp sits just before the Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge, right in the heart of the Capital City’s downtown traffic flow.

Crews at the scene say a vehicle’s fuel tank was punctured by metal debris lying in the roadway, sending diesel spilling onto the pavement. Kanawha County dispatchers said no one was hurt.

How long will it be closed?

The Charleston Police Department said the Lee Street ramp and the shoulder next to it will stay closed while cleanup crews work, a job expected to take somewhere between four and eight hours. Police said the closure could last as late as 7:30 p.m. Thursday, and they warned there’s a real chance it affects the evening commute.

Cleaning up diesel isn’t a quick sweep-and-go. Fuel on asphalt leaves a slick, hazardous surface, so crews have to soak it up and make sure the road is safe before anyone drives on it again.

Your detour

Drivers who need to get onto I-64 West from downtown should use the Virginia Street entrance ramp instead, police said. Expect a little extra traffic around that ramp and on the surrounding downtown streets while Lee Street is out of commission, and give yourself a few extra minutes if you’re heading toward South Charleston, St. Albans or Huntington after work.

A few tips for getting home safe:

• Leave a little early or plan your route before you pull out of the parking garage.
• Slow down near the work zone and give cleanup crews plenty of room.
• Watch for drivers who may make last-second lane changes once they spot the closure.

It’s been a rough day on West Virginia roads. Earlier Thursday, a transformer that fell off a truck spilled oil on a bridge along U.S. Route 50 in Harrison County, tying up traffic there for hours before the road reopened just before 10 a.m.

Charleston police said they’ll share more updates as the cleanup continues. We’ll keep an eye on it too and let you know when the Lee Street ramp is back open. In the meantime, be patient out there, Charleston, and look out for one another on the way home.