Paseo Maritimo open again after oil spill clean-up is finalised

PALMA
THE Paseo Marítimo along Palma's seafront, running in the westerly direction to the Andratx highway, was open to traffic again early yesterday afternoon after a major oil spill clean-up had come to an end.

Workmen from Palma City Council had had to “mop up” 700 litres of diesel oil which had leaked out onto the road surface through a crack in the fuel tank of a heavy goods vehicle.

The Council of Majorca's traffic control department confirmed that all was “back to normal” along the Paseo. In order to cope with the road blockage, Local Police had opened one lane of the dual carriageway running in the opposite direction, to allow vehicles to pass along towards the Andratx highway. Police spokesman Angel Garcia said that the spillage stretched 300 metres covering three complete lanes of the Paseo roadway, forcing closure to traffic between Monseñor Palmer street and the Joan Miró avenue roundabout. The oil on the surface was dangerous to all vehicles, but particularly motorbikes. Cleaning teams worked a full six hours to get the oil off the road and pavement. They finally made the surfaces safe by throwing a layer of sand over the affected area. The spillage was the result of a collision just before 7am when a vehicle had to swerve to avoid a car which had been double-parked on the Paseo, slamming into a lorry in an adjacent lane, puncturing its fuel tank.