Frustrated Highway 17 Commuters Remove Downed Tree

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS (CBS SF) – Nowhere in the Bay Area are commuters more frustrated with the recent rainy weather than on Highway 17 – the main artery to San Jose from Santa Cruz through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

For weeks, a massive slide has put a near stranglehold on traffic as it has blocked several lanes. More than an hour has been added to the daily commute each way.

So when a huge Redwood tumbled onto the roadway at around 3 p.m. during Monday's storm, the commuters took matters into their own hands.

Some of the drivers had chainsaws in their cars.

They exited their vehicles, fired up the chainsaws and began slicing the tree into pieces.

Other drivers helped remove the chopped up wood off the roadway.

The operation was well underway when Caltrans crews showed up. By 4 p.m., the tree was clear and the commute underway again.