2 big-rig crashes create lengthy traffic snarls for morning commute

BAY AREA

Wrecks on I-680 and Highway 101 caused the chaos

Traffic backed up for miles on southbound Interstate 680 near Sunol on Thursday after a crash involving two big-rigs left debris strewn across the freeway. A big-rig crash also backed up traffic on U.S. Highway 101 in the Peninsula. No one was injured in either crash. SARAH DUSSAULT — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

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By Rick Hurd

rhurd@bayareanewsgroup.com

A pair of poorly timed crashes on two major Bay Area freeways kept traffic at a standstill for much of the morning commute Thursday, and the backup stretched into the afternoon in one case.

The delay caused after a big-rig jackknifed on a Peninsula highway and spilled more than 100 gallons of fuel was set to continue its inch-along process at least into late Thursday afternoon and possibly into the early evening, the California Highway Patrol said.

The bigger of the two wrecks happened about 5 a.m. on northbound U.S. Highway 101 near South Airport Boulevard, one of the exits for the San Francisco International Airport. A crash on southbound Interstate 680 in Sunol near the Andrade Avenue exit happened about five minutes later.

In the first wreck, a big-rig jackknifed and spilled about 160 gallons of fuel onto the three right lanes, the CHP said. The big-rig also hit the fence that separates the roadway from the Caltrain tracks, knocking the fence onto overhead power lines, authorities said.

The two far right lanes on Highway 101 remained closed into the afternoon. The CHP said the earliest they would be opened again was 4 p.m. Thursday.

Much of the traffic on Highway 101 moved onto southbound Interstate 280 in Daly City, which was congested and slow even before another incident marred a would-be recovery. Crews needed to clean up spilled wet concrete near the John Daly Boulevard exit. That spill closed the two far right lanes about 11:40 a.m., and they were not opened until about 1:10 p.m.

Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman in a statement said the commuter rail system lost its power from San Francisco to South San Francisco because of the crash. Workers restored power on the northbound track and the agency sent trains through on a single track through the affected area, he said.

Delays were present throughout the morning and Caltrain at one point advised travelers to use other means of transportation. BART, SamTrans and Muni all were options, and BART was honoring Caltrain tickets.

Lieberman said they restored power to the southbound track about 10:05 a.m., and regular service resumed.

A Sig Alert issued by the CHP remained active into the afternoon.

The wreck on I-680 involved a pair of big-rigs, the CHP said. It left debris strewn across the southbound lanes and left only the far left lane open. All lanes were reopened about 10 a.m.

The CHP said there were no reported injuries in either of the crashes.