FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (Tuesday, Oct. 21)—A big rig truck loaded with rolls of paper struck the center divider and overturned on southbound Interstate 5, two miles north of Templin Highway at 5:30 a.m., causing traffic delays for up to an hour. A Sig Alert issued after 7:30 a.m., is expected to remain in place until early this afternoon. Motorists have called The Mountain Enterprise office as recently as 10:35 a.m. saying they’ve been stuck in traffic for an hour. CHP reports indicated that lanes 1, 2 and 3 were expected to be blocked until 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Lane 4 is open. An ambulance responded but it is unclear as to whether any injuries occurred. Reports also indicated that a diesel fuel leak was being evaluated to determine whether it was leaking from the big rig’s gas tank or another source. The driver of the big rig reported that a tire had blown out, causing his truck to hit the center divider and overturn.

A suggested detour is to take Highway 138 east (3 miles south of Gorman) to Highway 14. Take Highway 14 south. After about 20 miles, Highway 14 will wind around to the west and, after another 25 miles, meet Interstate 5 where motorists can resume their trips south.

At 1:10 p.m. all lanes were cleared and traffic began moving slowly, according to Fort Tejon CHP.

This is part of the October 17, 2008 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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