U.S. Highway 59 at Plummer, Minn., could remain closed throughout April as crews work to clean up a hazardous spill resulting from a fatal semi-train crash last month, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Minnesota State Patrol announced Monday.
On March 31, Dale J. Buzzell, 65, of Isanti, Minn., was driving north on the highway when his semi-truck collided with a Canadian Pacific Railway train crossing the road. He died at the scene.
Several of the train cars derailed, including one that was carrying 30,000 gallons of bunker oil that spilled into a ditch.
A Monday news release said the material contains a high percentage of benzene and is flammable. Motorists are asked to not drive around the barricades and any unauthorized people will be stopped from entering the site.
Southbound traffic is being detoured east on Red Lake County Road 1 for seven miles, then south on County Road 5 and State Highway 222, then west on State Highway 92 for six miles before getting back on Highway 59. Northbound traffic follows the same detour in reverse.
