Cleanup work is ongoing more than two months after the deadly crash of UPS Flight 2976 near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Millions of gallons of oily liquid have been collected, and crews continue efforts to decontaminate soil and water. Officials say a definitive timeline and total cost for the full remediation have not yet been determined.
Charred vehicles, oil-stained water and memorial wreaths remain visible reminders two months after the Nov. 4 crash that killed 15 people and restricted access for dozens of nearby businesses.
Crews are still working at the crash site around Grade Lane, just south of the airport, removing contaminated soil, treating water and repairing damaged roadways.
Although the area remains closed to the general public as cleanup continues and a faint burnt odor lingers, officials say conditions have improved significantly since the immediate aftermath, when as much as four feet of oil covered parts of the site.
During a Jan. 13 media tour of the largely industrial area south of Louisville’s main airport, Mayor Craig Greenberg reflected on what he described as the “truly apocalyptic” scene on the first day. He said stepping onto the burned ground, still littered with plane debris and active fires, was a “full-body experience.”
“What today won’t replicate are some of the smells, sounds, the oil that was in the air and on the ground,” Greenberg said. “The amazing first responders have been working every day over the past 71 days. They’ve made progress much quicker than anyone ever thought on that first night.”
Greenberg said there is still no overall cost estimate for the cleanup, though he expects the city to seek reimbursement through insurance, including coverage tied to UPS.
Officials said crash debris was cleared from the site in early January, while the National Transportation Safety Board investigation remains ongoing. The agency released a preliminary report in November and has said its final report, including conclusions, probable cause and safety recommendations, could take a year or longer.
City officials could not provide a firm timeline for fully reopening the area, though Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District leadership said cleanup work is expected to continue for at least another 60 to 90 days.
“It will take a significant amount of time to mitigate and process the water, identify soil contaminants and address them,” said Brian Bingham, Louisville MSD chief operations officer. “There are still a lot of unknowns at this point.”
Bingham said approximately 3.6 million gallons of oily liquid have been collected from the site, including about 200,000 gallons of pure oil. Roughly 2 million gallons have already been processed.
Much of MSD’s effort has focused on treating water in the Melco Flood Retention Basin, which MSD Executive Director James Parrott said plays a critical role during flooding events in the city.
“It’s going to be a phased approach, but once we get through this, we don’t anticipate any environmental impact locally or downstream of the Melco basin,” Parrott said.
While gas and electric service has been restored, officials said additional work remains to repair water and sewer infrastructure. Roadways have also sustained damage and will require repairs before the site can fully reopen, according to Jody Meiman, executive director of the Louisville Metro Emergency Management Agency.
Dozens of businesses in the area have faced restricted access since the crash to allow cleanup crews to work safely. Beginning Jan. 14, however, business owners and employees will have round-the-clock access to their properties and will be permitted to escort customers through checkpoints.
Meiman said worker safety remains the primary reason the area is still closed to the general public, noting that Grade Lane continues to see heavy cleanup activity.
“People need to have a purpose to be back on this site,” he said.
John Geary, vice president of Massachusetts-based Clean Harbors, said nearly 300 workers were on site at the peak of operations and have logged about 116,000 hours since UPS contracted the company to oversee the cleanup.
“In thirty years of doing this work across the country and around the world, we’ve never worked with a group of responders and regulators like the one here in Louisville,” Geary said. “It’s an absolutely remarkable fabric of the community.”
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