All lanes blocked wb SF/Oak Bay Bridge due to large paint spill. Vehicles can exit at Fremont Street. CHP on scene. pic.twitter.com/a57OYZq8uh
— Christopher Sherry (@CHPChrisSherry) December 18, 2015
The driver of a truck that dumped a sticky material on the Bay Bridge has been cited after the mishap caused the closure of all westbound lanes during this morning's commute, leading to delays that are expected to last through the afternoon.
California Highway Patrol spokesperson Officer T.J. Shively says that they started getting calls about white paint, epoxy, and paint cans dumped across all the lanes of westbound Interstate 80 just west of the Fremont Street off ramp at around 4 a.m.
By 4:15 a.m., CHP had closed all westbound lanes into SF, and started to clean up what KRON4 reports is drywall spackle.
Some pictures from the scene of the paint spill on the Bay Bridge. pic.twitter.com/A0ExhStaVk
— Christopher Sherry (@CHPChrisSherry) December 18, 2015
Caltrans crews dumped sand on the epoxy-like mess and used a sweeper truck in an effort to clear the roadway, as thousands of westbound commuters remained trapped, motionless, in their cars.
#Sigalert #Baybr 1 lane open at Fremont st. Harrison ramp closed. MAJOR delays. Take #BART another br! pic.twitter.com/eCcyMJHXeq
— SueHallTraffic (@SueHallTraffic) December 18, 2015
The effort went well enough that one lane was reopened by 5 a.m., and the remaining lanes were reopened by 6:45. According to Shively, however, the early-morning backup is expected to have repercussions that last all day and "into the afternoon," so if you're heading from the East Bay to SF at any point today, BART might be your best bet.
Shively says that the truck driver, who didn't stop at the scene of the spill, was eventually tracked down by CHP and cited for driving with an unsecured load.
The driver of the truck that caused the spill on the Bay Bridge was cited by CHP for having an unsafe load. pic.twitter.com/xE4nDZeZzX
— Christopher Sherry (@CHPChrisSherry) December 18, 2015
He says the driver will be hit with a hefty bill, too, as “Whenever somebody spills some type of load, they are held responsible for the clean up."
SKY7 HD over massive backup on the Bay Bridge heading into SF caused by paint spill. https://t.co/5cj2kysY0C pic.twitter.com/YaWcIU1XfN
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsBayArea) December 18, 2015
Crews working the drywall compound cleanup in SF. #BayBridge @hollyquanKCBS photo pic.twitter.com/o5IPHANndn
— Stan Bunger (@BungerKCBS) December 18, 2015
Maze of lights. #BayBridge backup due to SF spill pic.twitter.com/KnK9Rn2DVP
— Stan Bunger (@BungerKCBS) December 18, 2015
#BREAKING: CHP estimates it will take two hours to clean paint spill on WB. I-80 in SF. https://t.co/buk87gQ8Ed pic.twitter.com/lX6bMw5wgK
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsBayArea) December 18, 2015
Back up on the Bay Bridge right now. Debris on the road around the Fremont exit. pic.twitter.com/DBeDtwdLoz
— Amy Hollyfield (@amyhollyfield) December 18, 2015
Sweeper on scene at the Bay Brudge mess- a good sign! CHP Ofc. here hoping to open up in an hour- just an estimate. pic.twitter.com/N89otdT8sB
— Amy Hollyfield (@amyhollyfield) December 18, 2015
They're done sweeping the Bay Bridge! Now they are laying down sand to avoid spin outs. MIGHT open before 7:30. pic.twitter.com/PerlxXSJFA
— Amy Hollyfield (@amyhollyfield) December 18, 2015
Breaking news-you can see dry wall, putty like material on Caltrain truck's tires. Spill on bay bridge @kron4news pic.twitter.com/EUdVjFNkYb
— Will Tran (@KRON4WTran) December 18, 2015