Woah.

[Diemen]

Check out the video. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3097770&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 This is what I saw driving to work at 3:50am.

This interchange is about 100yds from my work. Crazy stuff.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

 

[U2Kitten]

Just yesterday I saw where a gas truck exploded on a highway in Houston and ruined part of the road too. What's up with the drivers, driving too long and falling asleep?

Glad to hear no one was hurt in this incident.

 

[Diemen]

Actually, it seems this driver was simply going too fast for the interchange. It's fairly narrow and has a decent curve to it (drive it all the time). Speed limit is 50. I can't imagine why someone driving with 8,600 lbs of gas in the back wouldn't want to stick to the speed limits...

 

[martha]

So much for his licenses.

 

[Diemen]

This is going to make the already terrible bay area traffic downright unbearable. It's going to be hell for anyone who commutes from the East bay to the city and back.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Well, 8,600 gallons, does that make a full trailer?
Not full would mean, if he reduced speed too late, and had to brake harder, the gas would move in the trailer, going back, then forward and moving the truck some meters forward.

It's not very easy to drive fluids or hanging meat.
I don't know much about the situation in the US, but my father told me about some of his colleagues who don't have much experience driving trucks, some of them only made their bus license and some years back they got their truck license with it, then get onto a truck with hanging meat (you need special licenses for dangerous substances), and very soon experienced their first accident.

Maybe some details get published soon.

 

[powerhour24]

That must have been horrifying to see happening.

 

[Bono's Betty]

 

[Canadiens1131]

Mmmmm crumbling infrastructure.

 

[Sicy]

OMG you saw it?? It's been all over the news.. it is absolutely crazy. I am so glad I dont commute that way! They called it a state of emergency. Traffic is going to be pure hell for the next few months.

 

[Diemen]

Yeah, for a while on my way to work it looked like it actually was at my work. The thick black smoke and flames were pretty surreal once they came into view, though.

Now I get to hear the news choppers hovering over head nonstop for the next few weeks.

 

[zoney!]

Diemen -

How was your commute?

It was nice for them to open up public transportation for free and increase frequencies. Hopefully it will convince some it is the way to go - even when the interchange is fixed.

 

[Angela Harlem]

wow.

 

[indra]

wow is right.

 

[Justin24]

Yup crazy seeing that on the news. I had to take the San Mateo, Bridge, since the inner change collapsed. Glad to hear your ok Diemen.

 

[Diemen]

Surprisingly the traffic isn't nearly as hellish as anticipated. There's a definite slowdown, but considering how crucial that interchange is it's being handled really well - the free public transit is a huge part of that, no doubt. Thankfully I don't have to get on a freeway to go to work, so I'm pretty unaffected by the whole thing. Our sales at work have definitely been affected though.