CAMDEN (5-15) – More than 50 employees of ARDOT’s District Seven received the Director’s
Diamond Award for their diligent work and quick restoration of U.S. Highway 278 in
Ouachita County.

Around 6:45 a.m. on March 27, a tractor trailer transporting ammonium nitrate on U.S.
Highway 278 exploded after its brakes caught fire. The blast created a 15 foot deep by 80
foot diameter crater in the highway. ARDOT was given access to the area at approximately
11:00 a.m. after emergency response and investigative teams completed their work. The
driver was killed in the explosion.

Various crew members removed the damaged asphalt, contaminated soil and debris, and
replaced and rebuilt this section of roadway. These crew members hauled various materials,
spread and compacted these materials, placed and compacted several courses of hot mix
asphalt and rebuilt the slopes and ditches. They worked every daylight hour and opened the
roadway to traffic in less than 48 hours after being given access to the site.

The Diamond Award recognizes employees that have gone above and beyond the call of duty
and whose actions exemplify one or more of the Department’s core values of safety, public
service, teamwork, quality, integrity, and efficiency.

“The employees we recognize today made a significant difference among their peers,
supervisors, and the traveling public,” said Director Scott Bennett. “I am proud of what they
accomplished.”

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