605 Freeway Reopens in Time for Rush Hour After Massive Fuel Spill

Cleanup efforts from a crash involving a big rig kept some lanes of the southbound San Gabriel River (605) Freeway closed for the bulk of the day today, but the final roadblocks were removed in time for the afternoon rush hour.

The crash -- which left one person injured and a big rig overturned and spilling thousands of gallons of fuel -- occurred around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday on the southbound freeway near the Carson Street exit in Lakewood, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos. The entire southbound freeway was shut down throughout the night, along with the northbound carpool lane.

The northbound carpool lane reopened just before 5:45 a.m., and the southbound HOV and No. 1 lanes were cleared about 8:40 a.m., according to the CHP.

The entire freeway was not completely reopened until 3 p.m., according to CHP Officer Patrick Kimball.

CHP officials said the big rig collided with an SUV entering the freeway from Carson Street. A Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said 3,500 gallons of fuel spilled from the big rig, which was carrying 8,800 gallons. What remained was pumped from the big rig.

Los Angeles County and Long Beach firefighters used sand and roadside soil to build berms to stop the spread of the fuel.

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• City News Service
• Photo Credit: Twitter user ASMINE VIEL ‏@jasmineviel
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