Spilled Aluminum Cans Slow Traffic On Northbound I-880 In Union City
HAYWARD (CBS SF) -- CHP are attempting to clean up a spill of "millions" of aluminum cans that have been strewn across lanes of northbound I-880 in the area of Union City and Hayward, according to authorities.
The CHP traffic incident information page posted at around 9:30 a.m. that "millions of aluminum cans" had spilled on the northbound lanes of I-880 for a stretch of about two miles starting at around Alvarado Boulevard and ending near the Whipple Avenue exit in Hayward.
There were multiple reports of people stopping to try to collect cans from the freeway, creating additional hazards for drivers. CHP and police were reportedly using loudspeakers on patrol cars to tell people not to try to collect cans.
The clean-up was still underway as of shortly before 1 p.m.
CHP and Cal-Trans are working together to clear thousands of crushed cans on I-880 N/B from Whipple Rd. to Tennyson Rd. Please do not stop to pick up the cans. You could end up leaving with a ticket and no cans ????????♂️ #CrushedCans #EmergencyStopOnly #Recycle pic.twitter.com/MXYE1sbc6D
— CHP Hayward (@CHPHayward) May 28, 2019
Authorities did not know how the cans had spilled on the freeway, but it seemed likely that it was from a truck transporting the aluminum cans to a recycling center. Traffic was slowed by the debris, but cars were still able to move in the northbound direction.
CHP had a sweeping truck that was cleaning up the cans, but there was no estimated time of clearing the debris from the freeway.