AURORA | A tanker truck carrying about 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel became unhitched from its trailer near the intersection of Chambers Road and Smith Road in Aurora Friday morning, causing road and train delays for more than an hour.
The trailer spilled less than 50 gallons of fuel, and there were no reported injuries, according to Sherri-Jo Stowell, spokesman for Aurora Fire Rescue.
Aurora Fire Rescue and the Aurora Police Department tweeted about the spill at 9:30 a.m. Friday, saying roads and the Regional Transportation District A Line could be closed for as many as three hours.
Both roads and trains were operating again about an hour later.
The tanker was traveling north on Chambers Road when the trailer became detached from the cab about 100 feet past the intersection with Smith Road, according to Aurora police Sgt. Chris Carleton.
“It just happened to be right there on the (train) tracks,” Carleton said. “It was just dumb luck.”
Carleton said the driver was cited for spilling fuel. The driver will have to appear before a judge in Aurora Municipal Court before receiving a penalty.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident, according to Stowell.
Last week, Colorado Public Radio published a report focused on the exact railroad crossing where the truck became disconnected Friday. In the story, truckers who regularly transport hazardous materials expressed concerns regarding the intersection’s safety, saying the area could cause trucks making sudden stops to be pushed into the train tracks by surprised drivers, and possibly struck by oncoming trains.
The Federal Railroad Administration has deemed the rail crossing a high risk area, according to the report.
Aurora fire and police officials indicated the incident Friday was not related to any of the concerns mentioned in the CPR report.