Yellow means slow: paint spill snarls I-68 in western Md.

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Yellow means slow on Interstate 68 in western Maryland, where 6,500 gallons of spilled paint will keep cleanup workers busy for several days, officials said Thursday.

The driver of a westbound tractor-trailer carrying plastic barrels of white and yellow paint was illegally texting on a cellphone when he lost control of the vehicle Wednesday evening in the mountains 10 miles west of Hancock, Maryland State Police said. Barrels flew from the flatbed trailer as it overturned, splashing slippery paint along several hundred feet of pavement.

No accidents stemming from the spill were reported.

There was enough spilled paint to fill an above-ground swimming pool. It was traffic paint, meant to be put on roads — but not like this. And like those durable stripes on the highway, it's hard to remove.

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