A spill of drywall mixture prompted the California Highway Patrol to close all lanes heading from San Francisco to Oakland on the Bay Bridge Friday morning, causing a mess on the road and a traffic nightmare that created a massive backup.
The CHP had originally said the spill was paint, but later clarified that it was bout 40 or so five-gallon containers of drywall mixture that had spilled off the truck.
All lanes of westbound Interstate Highway 80 reopened just before 7 a.m. following an accident reported before 5 a.m., according to CHP Capt. Chris Sherry. He said the driver of he truck that caused the spill was cited for having an unsafe load. By 8:45 a.m., traffic appeared to be moving smoothly, after Caltrans crews had been dispatched to mop up the mess with sand and a sweeper truck.
But despite the reopening, westbound I-80 was jammed solid about 7 a.m. from Berkeley through the Bay Bridge toll plaza and into San Francisco, clearing only at the Fremont Street exit, where the original spill occurred.
Traffic around the Bay Area bridges were also a mess for a couple of hours, with clogged around the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and the San Mateo Bridge.
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