Two Lanes Reopen on 101 After Big-Rig Accident

Two southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101 in Novato have reopened today but a third will be closed until around 8:45 p.m., a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The lanes under the Atherton Avenue overpass were closed around 2:35 p.m. after a tractor-trailer hauling 40,000 pounds of bottled wine hit a concrete barrier when it was cut off by another vehicle, CHP Officer Patrick Roth said.

The crash sheared off the tractor-trailer's fuel tank and a wheel, but it did not cause a fuel spill, Roth said.

The big-rig caught fire, but the blaze was extinguished, CHP Officer Peter van Eckhardt said.

All traffic heading south of Petaluma is advised to take Lakeville Highway to state Highway 37 to get back onto southbound Highway 101, van Eckhardt said.

The Atherton Avenue on and off-ramps on southbound Highway 101 remained open, Roth said.