Update: Highway 46 underpass in Paso Robles reopened after vehicles, fuel cleared
Update, 1:30 p.m.:
The Highway 46 East underpass at Highway 101 has reopened after it was blocked for several hours Monday morning due to a crash between a semi truck and a large utility vehicle that led to a fuel spill.
The crash was reported to the Paso Robles police at around 8:33 a.m. Monday.
When police arrived, they saw that the crash had caused the diesel fuel tank of the semi to break, spilling fuel across the roadway, Sgt. Adam Ketchum of the Paso Robles Police Department told The Tribune.
Caltrans’ hazardous waste team was called out to put an absorbent on the fuel that they then swept up and removed, Ketchum said.
The Highway 46 East underpass at Highway 101 and the Highway 101 southbound off-ramp were closed while crews worked to clear the fuel and the vehicles from the scene of the crash. All roadways reopened at around 12:45 p.m., according to the Paso Robles Police Department.
The drivers of the two cars involved were injured, Ketchum said, but their injuries were not severe.
Original story:
A major traffic collision in Paso Robles has caused extensive traffic delays in the area Monday morning, according to Paso Robles police.
The collision on the Highway 46 underpass at Highway 101 involved two semi trucks, Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services tweeted on Monday. Another small passenger vehicle was hit by debris from the crash, according to emergency scanner traffic.
Drivers are advised to avoid the area, and extensive cleanup is needed, according to the fire agency. One of the vehicles that crashed has a large diesel fuel leak, according to scanner traffic.
The agency reported that there are injuries, but the extent is currently unknown. At least two ambulances were sent to the scene of the crash, according to emergency scanner traffic.
This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 10:17 AM.
