Melanie Eversley

USA TODAY

A maple syrup spill caused a sticky situation earlier Monday night on a stretch of Interstate 91 in New England, just south of the Canadian border.

Vermont State Police closed a northbound stretch of the highway at exit 27 at Newport after a barrel of maple syrup fell off a truck onto the highway. No information was available as to whether it was pricey Vermont maple syrup.

State police opened the road back up later Monday, but urged motorists to move over and slow down to allow the cleanup to be completed.

Vermont State Police could not be reached Monday night,

The slippery incident is not the first of its kind in this part of the country. In July 2015, about 220 gallons of Vermont maple syrup worth $7,500 spilled across Route 101 in Keene, N.H., on its way from a farm in Alstead, N.H., to a food manufacturer.

In June 2015, a portion of Interstate 78 in New Jersey had to be shut down after a truck hauling maple syrup overturned, forcing a stretch of the highway to be closed to allow cleanup.

Before stevia and agave, Maple syrup was the original natural sweetener, according to the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association. Native Americans were the first to recognize it for its nutrition and energy benefits, the association says.