'Traffic nightmare' over as Delaware Memorial Bridge reopens, highly flammable gas leak contained
Josephine PetersonCORRECTION: A statement attributed to a fireman in a story in Wednesday's paper was incorrect. George Greenley said 30 percent of the contents of a storage tank needed to be transferred to another tank shortly before the bridge reopened.
A toxic gas leak from a chemical plant near the base of the Delaware Memorial Bridge on Sunday shut down all lanes of traffic on the busy holiday weekend for more than six hours.
A hazmat crew was called to Croda Inc. in New Castle at 4:16 p.m. for leaking ethylene oxide, an extremely flammable gas, from a tank on the site, according to Holloway Terrace Fire Chief Mark Willis.
At 11:20 p.m., the leak was contained and the bridge reopened.
Ethylene oxide is used to manufacture other chemicals, to sterilize medical devices and as a fumigant, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The gas was transferred from the leaking tank to a secure one, said fire company spokesman George Greenley.
As of 11:20 p.m. Sunday, the ethylene oxide was fully contained, the chemical plant announced.
Residents in New Castle neighborhoods north of Moores Lane were urged to stay in their homes, said New Castle City Police Chief Richard McCabe. Dispatchers used a reverse 911 call to notify residents.
No injuries have been reported.
All north and south lanes of Delaware Memorial Bridge closed around 5 p.m. as a precautionary measure as crews responded to the leak, Delaware River and Bay Authority spokesman Jim Salmon said.
Interstate 295 closed at I-95, and traffic was diverted to the Commodore Barry, Walt Whitman or Ben Franklin bridges. The congestion from the bridge had a ripple effect along I-95 and other major roadways, causing major delays for the end of the holiday weekend.
"We deeply regret the significant inconvenience that this has had on the community and those traveling in the area," a press release said.
Dan Heneghan said his son and his daughter-in-law, who is diabetic, were stuck on the New Jersey side of the bridge, trying to return home to northern Virginia. They had just spent the holiday with Heneghan in Ventnor City.
British-based Croda Inc. is an international specialty chemical manufacturer.
Atlas Point, Croda's Delaware location, manufactures formulas ranging from pharmaceutical use to industrial chemicals. Croda bought the site from Uniqema in 2006.
The process of turning ethanol into ethylene oxide is new — something Croda began doing less than six months at its Atlas Point location, according to Greenley.
A manufacturing operation has been at Atlas Point for more than 75 years.
Contact Josephine Peterson at (302) 324-2856 or jhpeterson@delawareonline.com
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