(La Porte, IN) - Traffic in downtown La Porte was a little slower than usual Wednesday afternoon, due to a hazardous liquid spill. According to La Porte County Hazmat Director Jeff Hamilton, a truck or a container left a trail of hydraulic oil starting from Tyler Street east along Lincolnway, then north over the US 35 overpass.

The spill was reported sometime around 2:15 Wednesday afternoon. Indiana Department of Transportation crews reduced traffic to one lane at the intersection of Lincolnway and Indiana Avenue.

Hamilton told HTNN the spill was quite slick, and rather than use absorbent sand, INDOT had to call in a special cleanup crew so as not to make matters worse. “They were concerned that the sand was going to cause another accident,” he said,” so they just had a contractor come in and clean it all up.” The contractor came from out of the area, delaying cleanup, which lasted well into the evening.

As of Wednesday night, the vehicle that left the messy trail had not been identified.