The Division of Highways and New Martinsville Street Department work together to clean up a spill of hydraulic fluid on state Route 2 in New Martinsville Monday morning. (Photo by Amy?Witschey)

It took three to four hours for crews to clean up a hydraulic fluid spill on state Route 2 in New Martinsville Monday.

Bob Closterman, Environmental Coordinator for Division of Highways District Six, said at approximately 9:30 a.m. a Price Gregory International truck traveling south on the highway and hauling a track hoe hit the Richard “Dick” Snyder Memorial Bridge overpass. The roadway connects northbound drivers to the Korean War Veterans Bridge that crosses the Ohio River.

The impact slightly marred the bridge, but left no major damage, according to Closterman.

However, the impact “blew a hydraulic line,” he said. The fluid was spread on state Route 2 from the point of impact to North Street, about one mile.

“It was very, very slippery,” he said, noting it did not cause any accidents. The DOH initially spread some cinders on the spill and then put down Floor Dry to soak it up. At that point the New Martinsville Street Department assisted by utilizing the city’s street sweeper to clean the roadway.

Closterman said none of the fluid reached the earth to cause any contamination. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection was on scene. “They were happy as long as it got cleaned up,” he said.

However, Closterman wasn’t exactly happy with Price Gregory. He said they never stopped and only from a helpful tip were they able to know the company and locate the vehicle and track hoe. “They never came back to clean it up, so we cleaned it up,” he commented.

According to Price Gregory’s Web site, they are a leading energy infrastructure services provider specializing in: construction of gas, oil, and products pipelines; installation of metering and valve stations; installation of compressor and pump stations; cleaning, repair, dot hydrostatic testing and maintenance services; horizontal directional drilling and road boring; and auto-welding equipment and services.