Thick black smoke billows from a flaming overturned truck on the 710/91 freeway connector. (Thomas McConville/ ThomasMcConville.com)
LONG BEACH -- A transition route closed by a weekend fuel tanker inferno has reopened.
California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Judy Gish says repairs allowed the elevated eastbound State Route 91 transition to northbound Interstate 710 to reopen Wednesday night. It will close again briefly Thursday night for completion of repairs, and may need further work.
The stretch had been closed since Saturday when a tanker truck crashed, killing the driver.
The trucker was making the transition from the eastbound 91 Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway around 5:46 p.m. Saturday when he lost control, struck a guardrail and plunged into a riverbed below.
The truck had been carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol, which spilled and ignited, creating a massive fireball that could be seen for miles.
The flames burned with such intensity that experts feared a portion of the roadway would collapse. Witnesses said the heat was so intense that it melted guardrails and caused some pieces of concrete on the overpass to come loose.
All that was left of the truck were its axles and a small portion of the cab. A total of 47 firefighters for from the Long Beach Fire Department and 17 firefighters from assisting agencies responded to the incident.
Long Beach Fire Captain Jackson said once the fire was extinguished, crews discovered the trucker's body. No other injuries were reported.
California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Judy Gish says repairs allowed the elevated eastbound State Route 91 transition to northbound Interstate 710 to reopen Wednesday night. It will close again briefly Thursday night for completion of repairs, and may need further work.
The stretch had been closed since Saturday when a tanker truck crashed, killing the driver.
The trucker was making the transition from the eastbound 91 Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway around 5:46 p.m. Saturday when he lost control, struck a guardrail and plunged into a riverbed below.
The truck had been carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol, which spilled and ignited, creating a massive fireball that could be seen for miles.
The flames burned with such intensity that experts feared a portion of the roadway would collapse. Witnesses said the heat was so intense that it melted guardrails and caused some pieces of concrete on the overpass to come loose.
All that was left of the truck were its axles and a small portion of the cab. A total of 47 firefighters for from the Long Beach Fire Department and 17 firefighters from assisting agencies responded to the incident.
Long Beach Fire Captain Jackson said once the fire was extinguished, crews discovered the trucker's body. No other injuries were reported.
