Liquid Acid Spill Shuts Down Highway 101 Onramp In Novato

Updated noon Tuesday:

Atherton Avenue at Highway 101 in Novato has reopened following a liquid acid spill Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The street reopened around 10:50 a.m.

NOVATO, CA – A liquid acid spill shut down a freeway onramp Tuesday in Novato, officials said.

Four red plastic containers containing liquid acid spilled on the Atherton Avenue overpass to northbound Highway 101, a Novato Fire Protection District spokeswoman said. The one-gallon containers of either sulfuric or muriatic acid likely spilled when they fell from a truck. The chemicals are commonly used to etch treads or designs in cement to make it less slippery, fire spokeswoman Sandy Wargo said.

A passerby reported the spill around 7:30 a.m. Traffic in both directions of Highway 101 is not affected by the spill, Wargo said.

There is no access to northbound Highway 101, fire officials said. The northbound Highway 101 onramp is closed, as well as Atherton Avenue between Redwood Boulevard and Armstrong Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The containers were venting gas and the initial report was about a fire at the scene, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

There have been no evacuations related to the incident, Wargo said.

Officials asked the public to avoid the area.

Image credit CHP -Marin