LYNCHBURG, Va. – A new study is helping emergency responders in Lynchburg keep people safe. This comes after a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in the downtown area in 2014. Now, local leaders want to know what hazardous materials are coming through Central Virginia.
Jessica Lake lives by Route 460 near 811 in Bedford County where a recent study just revealed that a lot of hazardous materials roll past her home.
"Things can tip over. Accidents can happen and so that definitely does concern me being so close to that road there,” Lake said.
In 2012, Route 460 in the Montvale was shut down after a truck driver's tanker truck rolled over, spilling thousands of gallons of diesel fuel. Fifty homes on the stretch of road had to be evacuated.
Three years ago, a moving train derailed in Lynchburg and spilled oil into the James River. After the train derailment, Lynchburg’s fire department learned more about what hazardous materials were coming through the city by rail. Now, it wants to be prepared for what’s coming through the highways.
"They are products that are properly contained and they are properly transported in a vessel. We just want to make sure that should there be an incident or an accident or some type. We are better prepared to handle those situations,” said Greg Wormser, deputy fire chief.
For 11 days, an organization from Colorado sat on the side roads near Lynchburg monitoring southbound U.S. 29 near Amherst, U.S. 460 near Thomas Terrace and U.S. 460 near New London.
"So this commodity flow survey allowed us the opportunity to specifically target the roadways to identify trucks hauling hazardous materials, the type of materials, the volume of traffic or trucks that we saw. So that although we knew they were there, we now have specific information on what's there,” said Jeffery Martin with Lynchburg’s emergency preparedness committee.
Although this was a city of Lynchburg project, officials have shared their findings with surrounding counties. And citizens nearby say they feel a little more at ease.
"I'm very happy to know that the people who are in power are aware that that's happening and that definitely does help me to feel more secure that that job is being taken care of,” Lake said.
The city has made the study available to the public. Here is the link: http://www.lynchburgva.gov/sites/default/files/COLFILES/Emergency-Services/Documents/Lynchburg%20HMCFS%20Report-Final%20September%202017.pdf