A driver of a fuel tanker, who was allegedly speeding, collided with a pickup truck on Highway 101 in South San Jose early Christmas morning. Southbound lanes were closed until early Friday morning as authorities in hazmat suits worked to clean up tons of spilled fuel.

As the Chronicle reports, a gasoline tanker carrying two four-thousand-gallon tanks traveling at an allegedly unsafe speed collided with a pickup truck around 5:30 am Thursday near Hellyer Avenue on southbound US Highway 101, causing the tanker to overturn, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Per Bay City News, the driver of the pickup truck, who had slowed down to avoid flooding on the freeway, was uninjured, but the big rig driver was taken to the hospital for assessment.

As crews worked to clean the spill and get the tanker upright, southbound traffic was rerouted to the Yerba Buena Road off-ramp, per NBC Bay Area. Due to the heavy rain and flooding, large amounts of water, along with the spilled fuel, had to be pumped from the contaminated roadway, per KGO.

Per the Chronicle, officials initially estimated the freeway would reopen around 5 pm Thursday, but the estimated reopening was extended to 8 pm, per Bay City News. It was then further extended until midnight, and the roadway reopened at some point Friday morning, per NBC Bay Area.

Authorities told KGO that numerous collisions have been reported, and drivers should use caution on the roadways.

Image: Google Street View

This post has been updated with the time the roadway reopened. Additionally, the amount of tons spilled is unclear and has been updated as such — news outlets reported that it was "600" tons, which is factually incorrect.

Previously: Jackknifed Big Rig, Spilled Fuel Closes Three Lanes of Southbound 101 Near SFO