MATTHEWS, N.C. — A section of the Interstate 485 outer loop is back open after a chemical spill in Matthews forced officials to close the highway for about three hours, officials said.
North Carolina DOT said all lanes of the outer loop were closed for cleanup near mile-marker 52 and the exit for John Street in Matthews. All traffic was detoured off the highway onto the exit ramp and back onto the highway from East John Street. According to DriveNC, there were several miles of backups due to the crawling traffic in the area.
Matthews Police shared photos of the scene with firefighters working to clean up the spill. It's unclear what chemical was spilled on the road. At the time, the road was down to one lane.
According to DriveNC, the outer loop reopened sometime around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Drivers experienced heavy congestion in the area during Wednesday evening's commute as lingering delays and rain slowed things down considerably.
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