Turnpike FUBAR tonight and other wonderful things

**Ares** · 11-23-2011, 12:02 AM

So I'm doing work up near the Cleveland Airport around Olmsted Falls. Didn't get done till little after 6. It's so nice and enjoyable a drive in the dark while raining. I have 1/2 tank of fuel for the pig(10mpg with a tail wind in good air, Isuzu POS) Everything is going great. Make it to PA line eventually cross the Beaver river and get to top of hill see some flashing lights off to side. Ok whatever, then tropper and PennDot truck following another Penndot truck plowing shoulder...umm ok

Crest hill few more cars off to side but traffic at this point is still moving right along at normal pace(70mph) for dark and rain. More cars off to shoulder.

Ok did I just miss some huge rain storm or something? Keep going and again group of vehciles I'm with is still moving at a good pace. Few more miles and more cars/trucks on shoulder. About 6 miles from Cranberry exit it turns all FUBAR like. Damn low fuel light comes on with traffic now crawling(still no fn idea what the hell was going on). See low fuel light equals you are screwed and need fuel like yesterday. Now I'm doing whatever I can to cut around the slow movers to get off before the pig up and dies in middle of road. Managed to get to into place to fuel up with motor sputtering. 237.8miles on 25 gallons of diesel

So now catch on news all this crap was over a tanker that lost tar over a 30 mile stretch of turnpike. So am I missing how tar causes flat tires? I
t was't slick, I noticed nothing on the road ro felt anything on the road. Hell never even heard anythign get picked up and flung up at wheel well.

Today sucked. Even managed to stab myself in left hand with pair of needle nose pliers while trying to straighten a bracket on something I was working on. Not even sharp pointy ones but stubby ones that you have to really try hard to get them to stick into hand and take a chunk of skin and draw blood. First Aid kit....WTF you mean their is nothing in in it. Ok wrap hand in electrical tape and continue on

**AutomagicSN98** · 11-23-2011, 12:09 AM

A tanker was leaking driveway sealant on a 49 mile stretch of the turnpike. covering everyones tires and smacking it all over their cars. just messing everything up. Reports say theres 80+ cars with tar all over the tires. some got off and some are just stuck there. Sounds like a real mess to clean up.

**White5.0** · 11-23-2011, 08:08 AM

sounds like you had a wonderful day! haha. But yeah apparently the whole tar spill was a big deal: http://www.wtae.com/news/29837601/detail.html

Watch the video at the link. I would be very upset as well, but the first lady they talk to is damn near crying and I couldn't help but laugh/want to punch her in the mouth lol.

OP - glad to see you made it through without your car being ruined by all the tar

**PaxtonShelby** · 11-23-2011, 08:30 AM

Hang in there Ed. Tomorrow you'll be stuffed full of turkey and other good stuff and Tuesday will just be a bad memory.

**sutyak** · 11-23-2011, 03:23 PM

Good grief what a disaster. Glad you didn't get stuck in that crud.

**03 OW SVT** · 11-23-2011, 05:05 PM

My wife got stuck in that traffic (Cranberry to Beaver Falls) on her way home from work lastnight. She didn't know what was going on. She did get some tar on her wheels, thank goodness we have a rental she is driving since our Audi is in the shop being repaired from her accident.

**Ares** · 11-23-2011, 06:12 PM

Well my boss spent most of the day trying to get ahold of info on replacing tires. Seems the number listed was out of service. He called Turnpike and got info. All 6 new tires on truck today. Wasn't as bad as most people got as I still could see tread. Just going to fire departments to do work you can't have tar dripping off on to the floor. Especially place yesterday which was brand new building. Guys were moving their thing s from old building next door into the new one as workers were finishing up. Poor trucking companies insurance is going to dishing out alot of money on wheels, tires, cleanup. Have to keep tires untill insurance says otherwise.

**srl135** · 11-23-2011, 06:22 PM

I probably would have cried if I was in a nice car when that happened.. I wonder what the plan is to remove tar from the underbody and mechanical components as well as the paint.. Thats gonna be tough!