A chemical spill overnight briefly shut down a couple major highways around Charlotte Wednesday (January 19) morning.
According to WSOC, a tanker truck carrying ammonia shut down highways in Concord around 3:30 a.m. after the truck began leaking, spilling the chemical onto the roadways. Highway 601 was closed between Cold Springs Road South and Parks Lafferty Road near Highway 200. Highway 200 was also closed to Ray Linker Road.
Cabarrus County deputies confirmed that hazmat crews responded to the leak but added that there were no evacuations as a result. During the course of the investigation, one deputy was taken to a hospital as a precaution. As of 12 p.m. Wednesday, it is unclear how the leak began or if there will be any charges relating to the incident, the news outlet reports.
Fortunately for drivers preparing to hit the roads for their morning commute, the spill didn't affect traffic for too long. According to the WCNC, the spill was addressed and impacted roads were reopened by around 5:15 a.m.
This isn't the only time in recent memory that major highways surrounding Charlotte were heavily affected by traffic. Last week, a deadly crash in south Charlotte claimed the lives of at least two people and diverted traffic for several hours.