Tanker Flips on Freeway, Sparks Huge Traffic Jam

A tanker-trailer loaded with gasoline overturned on the San Diego Freeway in West Los Angeles Friday afternoon, forcing closure of all northbound lanes and triggering a massive traffic snarl as motorists tried to get a jump on the three-day holiday weekend.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jill Angel said it was “just total gridlock” late Friday afternoon, with traffic backed up from the accident scene just north of the Santa Monica Freeway to the South Bay curve.

Cars sat motionless, bumper to bumper, on Sepulveda, Olympic and Robertson boulevards, as well as on virtually all other surrounding streets.

The CHP was attempting to break the jam by detouring northbound San Diego Freeway motorists onto the westbound Santa Monica Freeway to Centinela Avenue, then back on the eastbound Santa Monica to the northbound connector, which was open.

Work to Clear Lanes

CHP Officer Jim Wills said officers were hoping to have the wreck cleared and the northbound San Diego Freeway lanes open by midnight.

CHP officers said the tandem tanker rig’s brakes apparently locked shortly after 1 p.m., throwing it to one side and causing the trailer to flip over in the outer lane.

A Los Angeles Fire Department official said the rig struck a school bus--which had no children aboard--and that this may have prevented it from going over the side of the freeway, which is elevated at that point.

No serious injuries were reported.

Although the overturned trailer contained 4,800 gallons of unleaded gasoline in two separate tanks, only about 150 gallons spilled out of a top vent onto the freeway, officers said. None was believed to have reached a storm drain.

The potentially dangerous situation prompted firefighters to use ladders to carry hoses up to the freeway from the street below to spread foam on the pavement.

While motorists who were heading out of town for the three-day weekend sat trapped for hours, crews drained both tank trailers in order to avoid a worse spill and to lighten the load so that the rig could be towed away.

Peak Hours

The accident occurred as intense debate was going on over ways to reduce the effect of large trucks on traffic. The city of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District are preparing a proposed ordinance to halve the number of large trucks on city streets during the peak morning and afternoon traffic hours.

Although Friday’s accident occurred before the rush hour, Bill Bicker, transportation aide to Mayor Tom Bradley, called it “a classic example” of the need for stronger regulation of truck traffic.

The proposal provides for a multiagency response team that would help clear such accidents more swiftly.

Contributing to this story was Times staff writer Scott Harris.