A semi-truck crash and subsequent oil spill led to the closure of eastbound I-94 near Harper Road in Clinton Township on Tuesday evening, as chronicled in a FOX 2 report. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m., with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office confirming the collision and the presence of the oil on the roadway, forcing the shutdown from Gratiot Avenue in Roseville, details provided by a WXYZ article.
The specific cause of the semi-truck hitting a wall and jackknifing is still under investigation by Michigan State Police, and no estimations on when the freeway will open again have been offered by officials, emergency management has been notified and a hazmat team was dispatched to the scene to manage the oil spill. The extent of any injuries has not been confirmed, "At this time, there is no estimate as to when I-94 will reopen," the sheriff's office said in a statement obtained by FOX 2.
Separately, a FedEx box truck also jackknifed on westbound I-94 at Little Mack Avenue in Clinton Township following heavy rainfall, leading to another temporary road closure; this was reported by Macomb Daily, the cleanup concluded without reports of injuries and the freeway has since reopened, in contrast, the incident near Gratiot Avenue still affects the traffic flow. The thunderstorms are said to have contributed to multiple crashes on the local highways, intensifying driving hazards culminating in these incidents.
The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for Macomb and Wayne counties due to the thunderstorms with 1 to 2 inches of rain expected to have fallen by night's end the advisory was expected to be lifted by 11:30 p.m., according to the service; the excessive rainfall also led to minor flooding and exacerbated ongoing flooding conditions as per the Macomb Daily report.
