Accident On I-4 | Comment | Photos | Map | Traffic Updates

Too Foggy To Work

Posted Jan 10, 2008 by Chip Osowski and Billy Townsend

Updated Jan 10, 2008 at 11:40 AM

Crews repairing the melted, charred asphalt left by Wednesday’s flaming wrecks on Interstate 4 got about 7 1/2 hours of work in Wednesday night and early this morning.

About 3:30 a.m., fog rolled in, cutting visibility and making it impossible to work.

Workers with the state Department of Transportation were doing milling work, tearing up and resurfacing a scorched layer of asphalt along a 650-foot stretch of the road that was damaged in the initial collision of 43 vehicles.

Hazardous materials workers also had to clean up 4,000 gallons of oil that spilled from a tanker involved in the crash, said DOT spokeswoman Cindy Clemmons-Adente.

The crews suspended their tasks and will resume as soon as the foggy conditions ease.

The weather service says that may not happen until about 10 a.m.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says there is no word on when I-4 will reopen.

Polk County schools are open, but buses may be running late because of traffic jams caused by the closing of I-4.