Officials in New Jersey gave the all-clear to reopen a TA Travel Center location that has been closed for a week due to an incident involving a tanker truck.
The TA truck stop in Paulsboro, New Jersey, reopened for business at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, according to Gloucester County Emergency Management (GCEM).
The truck stop has been closed since August 11 when a tanker truck at the store loaded with 7,000 gallons of Lubizol began emitting an a foul, pervasive odor that resulted in hundreds of 911 calls from distressed locals and even people from neighboring counties.
GCEM later said that the tanker’s emissions appeared to stem from the decomposition of a fuel additive in the tanker, which produced hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans.
As of Wednesday evening, GCEM said that the tanker had been relocated to “a sectioned off area within a far corner of the lot with additional measures set in place to ensure public safety until its full removal.”
Officials say that “the chemical reaction that took place in the vessel is believed to have fully ceased, leaving the remaining contents completely solidified within.”
“Environmental mitigation crews have dismantled the majority of their equipment and loaded any recovered hazardous waste from their processes into a new vessel for proper disposal. Environmental and air monitoring crews remain on site fully monitoring the truck and the surrounding area until its departure. Proper regulatory permitting with approvals for road travel and acceptance at a verified hazardous waste disposal facility continue at this time. All parties involved in this incident continue to work as diligently and quickly as possible to get this vessel to its final resting place,” GCEM said.