Ind. 49 north of
the U.S. Highway 20 interchange has re-opened, after it was closed late
Tuesday afternoon when a foul-smelling liquid began seeping through the
asphalt, INDOT announced.
That
liquid--antifreeze green in color--is believed to have been ground water
chemically reacting with the slag base of the newly asphalted roadway.
“The Indiana
Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Environmental
Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Porter County, and
an environmental contractor determined that the substance presented no
threat to human health or to the environment,” INDOT said. “Crews were able
to contain and clean up the road and make it passable for traffic.”
Ind. 49 does remain
restricted to one lane in each direction as crews work to complete an
ongoing re-surfacing project.