Highway 20 southwest of Edmonton still closed after January oil spill

A spill of oilfield material on Highways 20 and 39 in Brazeau and Leduc counties on Jan. 25, 2024, caused damage to the vehicles that drove through it. (Provided by RCMP.)

Highway 39 has now completely reopened after a spill last month, police have confirmed, but Highway 20 is still closed.

A truck carrying vacuum gas oil, an oil refinery byproduct that can be upgraded into gasoline and diesel fuel, spilled its load over a stretch of 38 kilometres in the area of Highway 39 and Highway 20 on Jan. 25.

One lane of Highway 39 had previously been open to traffic.

RCMP say crews are having a difficult time cleaning up the spilled substance on Highway 20.

"My understanding is the substance got into the asphalt which is making it very difficult to make safe," Cpl. Troy Savinkoff told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. "Obviously, we don't want slippery highways that are going to cause injuries and other collisions out there."

The 55-year-old truck driver from Rocky Mountain House was ticketed as a result of the spill.