Hwy 101 is a mess right now. If you're anywhere near Redwood City or trying to navigate the Mendocino stretch, you’ve probably already noticed the red lines on your GPS. Honestly, it’s one of those days where the "scenic route" might actually be your best friend.
A major big rig rollover near Marsh Road has turned the northbound lanes into a parking lot this Sunday morning. Around 10:50 a.m., an 18-wheeler tangled with a sedan. It wasn't a small tap; the truck ended up on its side, sprawled across the right-hand shoulder and bleeding into multiple lanes of traffic.
CHP Officer Sophie Lu confirmed that both drivers were hauled off to the hospital. The good news? The injuries are being called "minor." The bad news? The cleanup is anything but.
What happened in Redwood City?
Initially, three northbound lanes were completely shut down. They managed to pry one open about an hour later, but it’s still a bottleneck. If you're heading toward the Peninsula, the California Highway Patrol is basically begging people to get off the freeway.
Take El Camino Real. Or maybe Highway 84 to East Bayshore Road. Seriously, just don't sit there if you can avoid it.
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There’s no "official" time for when all lanes will be clear. Recovery teams have to deal with the sheer weight of the rig and ensure no fuel leaked into the drainage systems. It's a whole process.
The Mendocino Tree Strike
Further north, things got weird in the middle of the night. Up in Mendocino County, another big rig decided to pick a fight with a redwood tree near mile marker 96.80.
Trees usually win that fight.
This one happened around 12:37 a.m. The truck sustained "major front-end damage," which is code for the cab being nearly unrecognizable. Interestingly, the driver was seen walking around right after the impact. Sometimes people just get lucky.
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- Location: Highway 101 South, near Leggett.
- The Damage: Roughly two gallons of oil and fluid spilled onto the asphalt.
- The Fix: One-way traffic control was in place for hours while crews tossed down absorbent material to soak up the mess.
As of this afternoon, that stretch is mostly back to normal, though you might still see Caltrans crews doing some final sweeping.
Humboldt County’s Midnight Flip
Humboldt isn't catching a break today either. Just after midnight, two vehicles—one of them a truck hauling a trailer—flipped over at 11230 Highway 101 North.
Picture this: one vehicle completely upside down, the other resting on its side. It looked like a scene from an action movie, but fortunately, the injuries were minor. One person was taken to Mad River Hospital as a precaution.
Buddy’s Tow had to bring in a specialized rig because, apparently, you need "good tires" and a lot of leverage to upright a trailer in that position. The road was finally cleared around 3:20 a.m., so the morning commute up there shouldn't be affected by this specific wreck anymore.
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Why Highway 101 stays dangerous
Look, we all know 101 is a beast. It’s not just the volume of cars; it’s the geography. Between the narrow curves in the Redwoods and the high-speed merges in the Bay Area, there’s zero room for error.
Lately, the data shows a spike in "wrong-way" incidents. Just last week near King City, a wrong-way driver triggered a mass casualty incident. It’s becoming a scary trend that the CHP is trying to tackle with better signage and lighting, but human error is hard to program out of the system.
Quick Facts: Today's Road Conditions
- Redwood City (San Mateo Co): Northbound lanes still restricted near Marsh Rd. Expect 20-40 minute delays.
- Mendocino County: Southbound lanes are open, but watch for Caltrans vehicles near the previous tree strike site.
- Mendocino/SR 20 Jct: Southbound traffic is still reduced to one lane about 4 miles south of the junction due to ongoing emergency repairs. This is a 24/7 closure that’s been active for a bit.
Basically, if you're driving 101 today, you're going to hit at least one slowdown.
Actionable Steps for Drivers Right Now
If you absolutely have to be on the road, don't just rely on your dashboard's built-in nav. Those things update slower than a 1990s modem sometimes.
- Use Waze or Google Maps: They’re usually the first to flag the "objects in road" or "police ahead" alerts that signify a fresh accident.
- Check QuickMap: The Caltrans QuickMap app is the "source of truth." It shows exactly where the CHP units are stationed and which lanes are orange vs. red.
- Have an Exit Strategy: In the Bay Area, parallel roads like El Camino or even I-280 are often faster when 101 chokes.
- Check the Weather: It’s mid-January. Micro-climates mean it could be bone dry in San Jose and slick as ice in the Mendocino hills.
Keep your eyes up and your phone down. Those minor injuries in today's crashes could have easily been fatal if the timing was a fraction of a second different. Stay safe out there.
Next Steps for Impacted Drivers:
If you were involved in any of these incidents, you can request a formal crash report through the California Highway Patrol website using form CHP 190. You’ll need the case number (like 26100130) and about $10 for the processing fee. For those just stuck in the traffic, keep an eye on the @CHP_GoldenGate Twitter feed for the "All Clear" signal on the Redwood City lanes.