A portion of Interstate 55 in suburban Cook County reopened on Friday afternoon, several hours after a chemical spill led authorities to close the expressway in both directions.
At around 4:30 p.m., the southbound and northbound lanes of I-55 near LaGrange Road reopened. The interstate was initally closed at around 8:10 a.m., after a disabled semi was found to be leaking hydrogen peroxide.
In an update late Friday afternoon, the village of Summit said the fire department was waiting for cleanup crews to start offloading the trailer. Once that happens, hazmat crews can work to stop the leaking barrel.
When Summit firefighters first arrived on scene, they noticed the truck was slowly leaking hydrogen peroxide from the front of its container. Other chemical were reacting to the hydrogen peroxide at the time, according to officials.
Extensive backups were reported as a result of the closures.
Drivers were advised to use alternate routes until the situation is resolved.
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Check back for updates on this developing story.
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