UPDATED DECEMBER 30, 9:45AM | After a nearly 10 hour closure that routed drivers away from the southbound 710 at the 405, the SigAlert that was in effect since around 9PM Saturday night has been lifted. According to the California Highway Patrol, the SigAlert was lifted and all lanes of the freeway reopened at 6:08AM this morning.
ORIGINAL DECEMBER 29 11:45PM | All lanes of the southbound 710 are closed at the 405 Freeway as well as two northbound lanes Saturday night after a big rig transporting a solid, coal-derived fuel crashed through the center divider, leaving a mess, but no injuries. Closures are expected to last until at least midnight while cleanup takes place.
Fire Department officials say that at about 8:45PM, the big rig was driving southbound on the 710 between the 405 and Willow St. when it hit a car and tipped over, spilling its load of black charcoal-looking pellets and forcing the cab through the center divider, partially into the number one northbound lane. Smoke from the spilled coke fuel led area residents and passerby to report a fire, but no flames were reported. No one was transported to the hospital.
“The big rig was transporting coke fuel into the port area when it collided with a passenger car,” said Will Nash of the Long Beach Fire Department. “The driver of the big rig got out and minor injuries were treated at the scene.”
It was not clear whether the driver got out of the cab on his own or whether he was assisted by firefighters, but the remains of the sideways big rig as seen about half an hour after the accident (in the above video) show the cab on its side covered in dust.
Since the spilled coke fuel is a major driving hazard, Caltrans cleanup crews are working to get the freeway reopened.
–Photo: The accident spilled coke fuel pellets like these onto the freeway.
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