Interstate 10 open after Alabama crash spills 200 gallons of fuel, snarls traffic into MS

A crash between two 18-wheelers closed Interstate 10 and slowed drivers to a crawl in Mississippi much of Wednesday until it was cleared just before 4 p.m., authorities said.

Two 18-wheelers crashed on I-10 eastbound in Alabama, just over the Mississippi state line, said James Gordon, a public information officer at the Alabama Department of Transportation.

One driver was life flighted to a hospital, he said. The crash also spilled about 200 gallons of fuel over the interstate and took hours to clean, Gordon said.

By mid-afternoon, the interstate was closed from exit 75 in Mississippi to exit 4 in Alabama. Orozco said the Highway Patrol began diverting traffic around noon down Highway 90 through Grand Bay, Alabama. Troopers re-opened the interstate around 4 p.m.

The crash, first reported around 10:30 a.m., led to backups in the eastbound lanes of I-10 in Jackson County. At 11:50 a.m., MDOT estimated delays would last another two hours. At 2:30 p.m., traffic stretched from the state line nearly to the Highway 63 exit in Moss Point, according to MDOT’s traffic map .

It is unclear if the trucks were hauling fuel or if it came from an internal tank, Gordon said. Delays lasted longer because Alabama authorities needed hazmat to clean it up, he said.

The crash had cleared by 3:40 p.m., MDOT said. Traffic appeared congested but clearing around 4 p.m.