By Christina Santucci
A large oil spill on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway tied up traffic in the area of East Elmhurst for several hours Wednesday as emergency responders worked to clean the roadway and remove the remaining unspilled fuel from the truck.
The New York Police Department was asked to close the expressway at about 1:30 p.m., according to the Breaking News Network.
Trucks traveling into Queens from the Robert F. Kennedy-Triborough Bridge were forced to stay on the eastbound Grand Central Parkway rather than exit for the BQE, causing delays as they got off the parkway at the next exit.
And vehicles that had gotten on the BQE before the roadway was officially closed were spotted reversing up an entrance ramp.
A spokesman for the city Fire Department said a truck carrying fuel had been involved in a crash near Astoria Boulevard with at least one other vehicle.
The front end of the truck, which featured a logo for Best Oil Co., appeared to be smashed.
No one was injured in the accident, the spokesman said.
The FDNY had considered the spill to be large, but did not immediately quantify the amount of fuel spilled on the BQE.
At about 2:30 p.m., members of FDNY Hazmat 1 were seen sweeping up the highway, and about 15 minutes later BNN reported the truck was being towed off the BQE.
“The oil company was responding to help offload the remaining spill,” the FDNY spokesman said.
Reach photo editor Christina Santucci by e-mail at timesledgerphotos@gmail.com or by phone at 718-260-4589.
