The highways across North America are like arteries bearing life’s nutrients through our bodies. Someday we hope all vehicles on them will use battery-electric power. In a bizarre incident batteries obstructed major traffic in Southern California. We wonder how authorities will react if batteries close a major interstate route like that again.
Which Major Interstate Route Did Batteries Close?
Highway Interstate 40 is a major east-west link between California and North Caroline via Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The incident in question occurred near Barstow, California, which we understand is the western terminus of this route.
The New York Times suggests that a semi-trailer crashed, and then caught fire after the driver lost control of their vehicle. Graphic pictures show how a container carrying lithium-ion batteries slipped off the flatbed, and tipped on its side.
The impact must have damaged the lithium battery cargo, because flames appeared from under the container. Traffic would have slowed, and then ground to a halt. Drivers and passengers would have gazed in horror at the acrid smoke, as they watched batteries close a major interstate highway.
Emergency first-responders arrived on the scene after they received calls around 6:30 am. They officially closed the northbound lanes two hours later, and then the southbound ones another thirty minutes on. They could then begin their task of clearing blocked Interstate I-40, which was a major challenge by then.
It Took a While to Clear the Traffic Congestion
Officials were still dealing with the aftermath at the time of writing. They had rerouted the traffic onto other highways, but this was causing congestion there too. They were still trying to move the 75,000-pound container off the roadway, but this was still proving a challenge. Meanwhile they kept monitoring the fumes.
The Fire District office noted on the social media how lithium-ion battery fires can escalate to thermal runaway, “… needing massive amounts of water to extinguish.” Perhaps it is time for traffic authorities to manage hazardous cargoes on interstate highways more directly? But the question remains how to do this in our open, democratic society.
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