Tanker Carrying Molasses Overturns On Highway, Spilling 8,000 Gallons
STOCKTON (CBS13) – A sticky mess backed up traffic in the Central Valley for hours after a tanker truck loaded with molasses overturned on Highway 99, spilling thousands of gallons of the sweet stuff onto the roadway.
The truck flipped over on southbound Highway 99 near Highway 4 and blocked all lanes during the morning rush Wednesday. An estimated 8,000 gallons of molasses leaked out onto the roadway. As one might imagine, cleaning up wasn't easy.
Crews used sand to soak up the molasses on the roadway and then scooped it up. Another tanker truck was used to off-load the molasses that was left in the overturned truck before it was uprighted and hauled away.
As for what caused the initial accident, officials say around 6:45 a.m. as traffic began slowing, a car driving in the fast lane next to the tanker couldn't stop in time, spun out, and hit the rig.
Despite the damage, nobody was hurt.
