UPDATED: Paint spill causes traffic delay on Highway 197; all lanes reopened
Emergency crews closed off a stretch of Highway 197 on Friday morning after a paint spill. (Maggi Stivers | Bemidji Pioneer)BEMIDJI -- There was a little more yellow greeting motorists on a sunny Friday morning in Bemidji. At approximately 8:30 a.m., a paint spill at the intersection of Paul Bunyan Drive South and First Street East was reported to the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.
Multiple safety agencies responded to the 15-gallon spill of white and yellow paint, including the Bemidji Police Department, the Bemidji Fire Department, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the city of Bemidji Public Works and the Beltrami Industrial Services Emergency Response Vehicle.
Traffic was rerouted and Paul Bunyan Drive was reduced to one lane heading north during the cleanup, but all routes were open just after 10 a.m., officials said.