Update: I-80 ramp from Highway 65 reopens after lengthy closure due to tar spill
A crash and fuel spill caused long delays Wednesday on Highway 65, closing the interchange onto westbound Interstate 80 near Roseville and Rocklin for about seven hours.
According to the CHP Auburn office, a trailer “containing a liquid tar material” overturned at the ramp around 5:40 a.m., spilling liquid onto the roadway. “Several other” vehicle collisions then occurred due to the slick roadway, according to the CHP.
Caltrans in a tweet just before 8 a.m. said to expect “severe delays” at the southbound Highway 65 connector onto I-80, which will be closed for “several more hours for cleanup.” The California Highway Patrol’s Auburn office initially said in social media posts that the ramp would be closed until approximately 9:15 a.m., but then in an update around that time said the closure would last at least an additional two hours.
The ramp ultimately reopened by about 12:45 p.m., according to the CHP.
Drivers had been urged to use alternate routes where possible and prepare for long delays. Traffic had been diverted to eastbound I-80, leading those traveling toward Sacramento need to head the wrong way for at least one exit before getting back on the westbound side.
Caltrans traffic cameras showed gridlocked traffic on southbound Highway 65 extending north of Blue Oaks Boulevard during peak morning commute hours.
Southbound Highway 65 ends at the I-80 interchange.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 8:37 AM.
