A tractor-trailer wreck and acid spill in downtown San Antonio last week has prompted city officials to take a close look at a hazmat routing plan that has been in the works for 20 years.

Last Wednesday morning, a tractor-trailer tipped over on a curving ramp where Interstate 35 meetings Interstate 10. The crash spilled 4,500 gallons of hydrochloric acid. Thousands of people were evacuated, and several dozen people were treated for symptoms such as burning eyes and breathing problems. The wreck, which shut down I-35 and I-10, was one of the worst hazmat incidents in the area in the last 15 years.
The San Antonio city council has put the hazmat routing plan on its December agenda. If approved, the plan would be put out for public comment starting in January. The entire process, including approval from the state Transportation Department, could last a year and a half according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The current draft of the plan would prohibit trucks carrying hazardous materials form using Loop 1604 and highways within Loop 410 unless bound for local destinations. They would be banned from some portions of I-10 and I-35.
The interchange where the tanker overturned has been attacked in the past by the American Trucking Assns. as one of the worst in the area.
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