whoa

i missed this by 5-10 minutes!! this is the mercury news article. for work i exit the blossom hill rd exit, one exit before the bernal rd exit! luckily the closure of 101 was while we were all working. they announced the closure over the intercom twice at 11am, once at 1pm saying they didn't know when 101 would be open, and then 2:30pm saying that it was now open. Oh yes, they also sent two emails, one saying it was closed, one saying it was open! Yikes! while i was driving home from work, there were all these news vans next to the highway entrance which was causing a slowdown so i thought there was still traffic, but once we drove past all of them, no traffic to be seen! it was like nothing had happened...

101 reopened after acid spill

By Elise Ackerman and Chuck Carroll

Mercury News

U.S. Highway 101 in San Jose was shut down Thursday after a southbound big rig developed a leak and spilled more than 500 gallons of a toxic stew of nitric and sulfuric acid onto the roadway just north of Bernal Road.

The closure, which lasted more than 4 1/2 hours, snarled traffic throughout the South Bay, frustrating motorists from Monterey to Morgan Hill. The freeway was reopened in time for the evening commute.

The backups began building shortly after 9 a.m. when the driver of a truck owned by R. Padilla Chemical Transfer pulled over to the side of the highway to try to fix a corroded valve.

As the driver worked, passing motorists began calling CHP about the smell. Southbound lanes were closed around 9:15 a.m. and northbound lanes were closed about 15 minutes later.

Traffic was diverted onto Monterey Road, which runs parallel to 101 to the west, while the San Jose Fire Department worked with CHP and contract cleanup workers to contain the leak by placing pans underneath the valve to catch the acid. In the early afternoon, a pump was brought in to transfer the acid to an empty truck.

CHP Officer Chris Armstrong said the entire highway was closed because sulfuric acid is ``an extreme inhalation hazard.'' Exposure to the fumes can cause burning in the eyes, nose and throat.

However, authorities on the scene said there appeared to be minimal impact to the surrounding community. An air monitoring test taken at 11:35 a.m. showed no sign of acid in the air.

The main casualty of the incident appeared to be the truck driver, who was transported to Valley Medical Center for observation. Some of the acid splashed on his clothes, but he didn't sustain any serious injuries.