A tractor-trailer carrying tofu that crashed southwest of Rolla has been stinking up a part of Phelps County for weeks.
The semi crashed March 1 on Interstate 44 near a ravine known as Tater Hollow.
Local authorities say no one was hurt, but the crash scene at the 172-mile marker is still there. One local resident wrote online that the rotting tofu left behind smells similar to catfish bait.
"For those of you who drive by this everyday and wonder to yourself 'why is this still sitting here three weeks after the crash?' You are not alone," wrote officials from the nearby Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District, which responded to the wreck.
Pictures of the site on the fire department's Facebook page show the semi buckled in a ditch below a low bridge. The front part of the trailer burst open, and dozens of rectangular-shaped boxes, presumably containing tofu, poured out of the truck.
In a social media post, the fire department said cleanup has been slow as the Missouri Department of Transportation works with the truck company's insurance carrier.
"As we have gathered, it has been a logistical nightmare. We have been given the runaround while attempting to recoup the costs that our department endured during the response and initial cleanup," the post said.
MoDOT officials said they are working closely with the Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to figure out how to get the truck out of the ditch.
"We are looking at a towing company to coordinate that removal, and it could begin as early as the end of this week," said MoDOT Central District Communications Manager Marcia Johnson. "But it is going to be a time-consuming removal that could cause some traffic impacts."
Johnson added that the cleanup could be slightly more complicated than other operations because the wreck involves food products.
For residents nearby, the cleanup can't come soon enough.
"In case you were wondering, tofu tends to stink pretty bad after sitting out for three weeks!" said the fire department's post.
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