A northbound lane of Highway 101 just north of Highway 129 was
closed for an hour Thursday morning after a truck spilled 12 tons
of black gravel onto the roadway.
A northbound lane of Highway 101 just north of Highway 129 was closed for an hour Thursday morning after a truck spilled 12 tons of black gravel onto the roadway.
The spill was reported at 7:54 a.m. after morning traffic had already passed by, California Highway Patrol Officer Jaime Rios said.
“”It wasn’t too big of an issue because it happened a little after rush hour,” he said. “Traffic never slowed down.”
The incident occurred when the Hildebrand Construction truck’s bed, holding the gravel, malfunctioned and spilled the gravel over the roadway, Rios said. The rocks were spread over one-tenth of a mile.
“There was gravel everywhere,” Rios said.
Most of the gravel dissipated as vehicles drove over the spill, Rios said. Caltrans crews cleaned up the rest of the gravel. One lane was closed until 9 a.m. as crews worked to clear the road, and workers stayed on site until 11:55 a.m.
Rios believed the driver or owner of the truck was cited for the spill, he said.
“Regardless of whatever happened, it shouldn’t be spilled onto the roadway,” he said. “I’m almost certain they were cited for this.”
