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PORTER — A green and white liquid oozing from the road has prompted state and local officials to close one of Porter County’s busiest roads at least through Wednesday before they tear up the recently paved surface to find the cause.

Ind. 49 is closed to traffic between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12, forcing commuters and beach-goers to find alternate routes to the South Shore train station, the Indiana Dunes State Park and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Officials believe the liquid is being produced by slag, a byproduct of refining ore, which was used as a road base in the Ind. 49 reconstruction project that started in April.

Porter Deputy Fire Chief Jay Craig said police were called just before 5 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Ind. 49 and Bailly Road for a green liquid.

Police originally thought the substance was antifreeze and called for the Fire Department to wash down the road.

But firefighters realized the substance was not something spilled on the road but was seeping up from the surface of the new asphalt roadway.

Officials from Porter County HAZMAT and the Indiana Department of Transportation determined the substance was likely caused by a chemical reaction with the slag, said Greg Eckhardt, Porter County HAZMAT director.