Residents of a Missouri town can finally breathe easier.
Crews have removed a wrecked tractor trailer carrying tofu that had been stinking up a stretch of highway near Jerome for several weeks.
The driver of the semi left the roadway March 1 near mile marker 172 on Interstate 44 in Phelps County.
The truck's load – at least partially consisting of tofu – became increasingly pungent as temperatures rose.
Local authorities said no one was injured, but the crash scene remained in place for weeks. One resident wrote online that the rotting tofu smelled 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 showed the semi buckled in a ditch below a low bridge. The front part of the trailer had burst open, spilling dozens of rectangular boxes of tofu.
The Missouri Department of Transportation contracted a towing company that finally hauled the truck from its smelly resting spot earlier this week. Big Boy's Towing and Recovery, based in Pacific, arrived at the scene Tuesday afternoon and began removing the semi from the ravine.
MoDOT Central District Communications Manager Marcia Johnson confirmed the truck and the trailer have now been removed.
"The crew is working to clean up the rest of the debris from the crash, and they hope to have everything wrapped up by the end of the week," she said.
Officers said the agency had been negotiating with the carrier's insurance company, which caused the hold up.
For nearby residents, the cleanup was long overdue.
"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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