Crash involving hazardous materials shut down Interstate 29 for hours in Holt County

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — UPDATE, 9:20 p.m. | The Missouri Highway Patrol said the southbound lanes of Interstate 29 are back open following Thursday morning's crash.

The northbound lanes were reopened earlier, according to an update from MSHP around 7:47 p.m. Thursday.

UPDATE, 2:50 p.m. | The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash that resulted in a hazmat response Thursday involved two vehicles.

MSHP was called to the scene around 1:51 a.m. Thursday on southbound Interstate 29.

A spokesperson with MSHP, Sgt. Shane Hux, said a tractor-trailer hauling 4,000 pounds of sulfuric acid suspended with nitroglycerin jackknifed and overturned. The trailer was blocking the southbound lanes when another vehicle struck it.

Houses in the nearby area, which is a rural area, were evacuated, according to Buchanan County Emergency Coordinator Bill Brinton.

The roughly 30 residents that were evacuated as a precaution were allowed back into their homes around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Hux said.

Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries following the crash. The driver and a passenger in the semi sustained minor injuries. The driver of the other vehicle suffered potentially moderate injuries, per MSHP.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and a company from Kansas City, Missouri, Clean Harbors Environmental and Industrial Services, are involved in the cleanup.

Brinton said the response to the incident has been a multi-agency effort.

The detours for northbound and southbound I-29 are still in place. MSHP said it is still unknown how long the closure will last.

UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. | The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are working with hazmat crews to deal with the hazardous materials following Thursday morning's crash in Holt County.

Interstate 29 remains closed where the incident occurred, and a detour is in place, per a press release from MSHP.

Northbound drivers will take the exit onto U.S. Highway 59 at mile marker 75 and continue on U.S. 59 to Mound City, Missouri, to get back on I-29. Drivers can also use U.S. Highway 71 by exiting at mile marker 56.

Southbound travelers will take the exit onto Missouri Route 118 in Mound City and drive west to Missouri Route 111. Those drivers will then go south to U.S. Highway 159 and drive east. Vehicles will get back on I-29 at mile marker 79.

More information on the detours can be found on the Missouri Department of Transportation's Traveler Information Map.

The Holt County Sheriff's Office shared an update on Facebook stating MSHP said the closure could last multiple days.

Specialized equipment is needed to offload the hazardous material contained inside the overturned tanker, per the Holt County Sheriff's Office.

The rerouted traffic caused Mound City R-2 to cancel classes Thursday "due to the uncertainty of the situation with transportation for both students and staff," the school said in a social media post.

EARLIER REPORT | An overnight crash north of St. Joseph involved vehicles carrying hazardous materials.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says both northbound and southbound I-29 were shut down about 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

The crash occurred near mile marker 80 in Holt County.

A detour is in place via U.S. 59:

• Southbound traffic will exit at mile marker 84.
• Northbound traffic will exit at mile marker 75.

The patrol has not indicated what materials were involved.

Injuries were reported, but at this time, the patrol has not indicated the severity.

There is still no indication of when the highway may be reopened.

Motorists are encouraged to take an alternate route.

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