By Joe Kelly

The cleanup of last year’s gas spill has now shifted to Maple Avenue, inaugurating what is likely to be months of disruption to allow both for the removal of contaminated soil and for the first phase of the long-planned renovation of the roadway that includes repaving, upgraded drainage and new sidewalks.

Much of the 8,200-gallon load of gasoline that spilled out when a tanker truck overturned on Route 44 last November flowed into a drainage channel that runs from near the crash site, along Pettibone Lane and into a brook that flows under Maple Avenue on its way to the Blackberry River. The cleanup around the crash site on Route 44 is now largely complete, but large amounts of soil around Maple Avenue and Pettibone also became contaminated and have to be removed.

Beginning in mid-June, work crews and heavy equipment were out in force. A 20,000-gallon storage tank parked along the side of the road is being used to capture water that flows through the area. Gas-laden soil is being dug up and extensive digging is also taking place in the brook. The road has been completely blocked.

First Selectman Matt Riiska predicted that the cleanup will take until mid-August. The job is complicated because the gas has traveled deep into the soil. “You have to dig and test, dig and test until you are sure you have it all,” said Riiska. On Route 44 near the crash site, soil was removed to a depth of 18 feet.

Once the remediation is complete, work will start in earnest on updating Maple Avenue itself. Riiska said the plan is to have the section from Laurel Way to Terrace View completed this year and then finish the rest of the job in 2024.