Jackknifed big rig leaking fuel, blocking 4 lanes I-80 Bay Bridge eastbound. #5 lane open. @CHPSanFrancisco on scene with safety partners. pic.twitter.com/b6OnADzYBg
— Christopher Sherry (@CHPChrisSherry) October 28, 2016
A jack-knifed big rig snarled the Friday morning commute in San Francisco, causing the closure of Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge and causing officials to ask drivers heading from SF to the East Bay to use alternate bridges.
According to a spokesperson with the California Highway Patrol, the truck crashed into a wall on eastbound 80 on bridge at around 4:59 a.m. Friday. The smashed truck began leaking fuel immediately, sending fire crews to the scene for cleanup and closing all eastbound lanes of the interstate.
The driver received minor injuries in the wreck, a CHP spokesperson said. According to ABC 7, "The driver says a car cut him off, he lost control, hit a wall and then jackknifed." The CHP is still working to confirm that accounts of events, a spokesperson says.
By 5:30, the fuel dump was controlled, after about 50 gallons spilled onto the bridge, ABC 7 reports, and crews worked to make sure the gas did not leak into the Bay. The full closure persisted until around 6:55, when two lanes of 80 were reopened. However, congestion is bad enough that traffic is still being diverted off the freeway at Fourth Street, according to the CHP.
CBS 5 reports that "as of 8:00 a.m., the backup extends to Highway 101 and down the Peninsula to South San Francisco. Northbound Interstate 280 is backed up to near Daly City."
Officials don't have any estimate on when they expect the crash investigation to be complete, or when they expect eastbound 80 to fully reopen.