A hazmat situation forced the closing of I-84 westbound between exits 4 and in Wallkill Wednesday.

The New York State Thruway authorities say a tractor-trailer was hauling containers of waste product when one of the containers spilled. The driver noticed the spill at the Wallkill service stop. The material was first thought to be highly flammable, but turned out to be a mixture of chemical waste. Officials were concerned the material would catch fire, so they shut down a portion of I-84 immediately. Hazmats teams were called in to investigate.

Motorists were detoured while the scene was cleaned up, causing a traffic nightmare for many. The road was re-opened a few hours later.