El Cajon drivers face continued traffic snags two months after fuel truck spill

EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) —  Residents in El Cajon are still dealing with the aftermath of a gasoline spill two months after the incident.

The intersection at Fletcher Parkway and Navajo Road has been out of commission since a tanker truck rolled over, spilling nearly 8,600 gallons of gasoline.

While crews have been working to clean up the mess for the past eight weeks, getting around the area has been the biggest challenge for people.

“Why is it taking them so long? What’s going on down there because we’ve been told nothing,” said Jason Neely, owner of Jason's Water Store.

Neely's business is not far from where a gasoline spill disrupted the day-to-day in the area.

A fence surrounds a huge trench where crews are working to remove contaminated dirt right where a truck tipped over, spilling gasoline on Oct. 9.

Several large metal containers are packed with the tainted dirt, but it's not all of it. 

Robert Wise with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says he expects cleanup to be done by Friday.

“We were kind of shocked at how long it’s taking. We didn’t think that there would be this much soil contamination,” Wise said.

A half a mile stretch of Fletcher Parkway is closed to traffic heading northbound to Navajo Road, causing headaches for drivers. 

Aryan Arnold says he hears complaints from his clients at Learning Center Mathnasium. 

“Them getting here on time and all that has been kind of harder, so that’s been the biggest complaint,” Arnold said.

Crews have also cleared about 2,000 gallons of gas that got into the storm drain, sparking environmental concerns from the community.

“There is a worry about the water tablets below and that's what keeps a store like me in business,” Neely said.

But federal inspectors say they’re still monitoring for any signs of contamination.

“We still have a boom in place up and down the storm drain and in Alvarado Creek and that will be in place until after the first rain,” Wise said.

For now, community members affected are running on patience until a solution is reached. 

The EPA on-site coordinator says even after all of the cleanup is complete. Repairs to the street and other infrastructure will continue so the intersection isn’t expected to be up and running again until at least mid-January.