An excavator being taken across the Michigan Street Bridge in Sturgeon Bay, on its way to the 3rd Avenue road construction project at about 10AM Monday morning started leaking hydraulic fuel after it hit a half a dozen cross members on the old span. Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Herlache says about 25 gallons of the fuel leaked onto the roadway from Michigan Street, down 1st Avenue to the area of 3rd Avenue & Iowa Street. The excavator, which was running, was being transported on a flat bed trailer when the accident happened. Luckily, a city street department sander was available & firefighters closed off the affected area until the spill could be sanded & workers could begin cleaning up the bulk of the mess. A street sweeper was brought in to finish the job. In addition, firefighters monitored the situation so that none of the hydraulic fluid got into the bay. Another concern was the possibility of rain, which would have made the pavement extremely slick in spots. Chief Herlache says the Peters Construction excavator had been running since it began its trip from Green Bay to warm it up for the work ahead. He said, had the machinery not been running, much less fluid would have been lost.
