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Police: Arlington Tanker Spilled Thousands Of Gallons Of Oil

ARLINGTON (CBS) - State Police said on Saturday that a tanker truck that flipped over in Arlington on Friday was carrying about 10,000 gallons of oil at the time of the crash.

The majority of that fuel spilled.

Mystic River Watershed Association's Ekongar Singh Khalsa reported on Friday that a significant amount of oil had ended up in the nearby Mystic River.

On Saturday morning, highway crews finished repairing the area of roadway at Medford Street and Mystic Valley Parkway that was contaminated by the spill.

Both roads were reopened just before 10 a.m. Saturday.

However, State Police said the River Street Bridge remained closed to make room for a crane involved in the cleanup. The cleanup was expected to continue throughout the day, and police advised drivers to avoid the area.

Friday afternoon, the tanker-truck owned by JP Noonan rolled over after failing to navigate a rotary.

The driver, a 65-year-old Framingham man, remained in serious condition at Beth Israel Hospital.

Police had not filed any charges.

Although they praised the emergency response, neighborhood residents expressed dismay over the environmental damage.

"Especially because (the river) does open up into something bigger, I feel like if they didn't catch it, it'd probably close down a lot of swimming areas for people," Shannon Cain said of the oil spill. "Under the circumstances, with it being a million degrees, (cleanup crews) are doing really well."

Lou Frontino said the spill already has had an impact on wildlife.

"The response was amazing. They had been doing a really nice job maintaining (the river front) so that's why it's a shame to see it fall apart," Frontino said. "It was just an ugly scene. We had swans and ducks out here but they seem to be gone right now."

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