Overturned Crane Puts Ventura Fwy. in a Vise

An overturned crane closed eastbound lanes of the Ventura Freeway this morning, trapping commuters in gridlocked traffic and sending thousands of cars flooding onto surface streets.

The operator of the crane suffered minor cuts and bruises in the 4:50 a.m. accident, which occurred as the crane was moving a five-ton concrete barrier into place at the interchange with the San Diego Freeway.

No one else was injured, but thousands of morning commuters found themselves in a virtual parking lot as eastbound traffic was backed up to Tampa Avenue, more than five miles away.

Traffic on the San Diego Freeway was also slowed by the accident.

“It’s a mess,” Los Angeles police Officer Clarence Dean said this morning.

Normal traffic flow was restored about 9 a.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Jayne Suits said.

According to Jim McAllister, Caltrans’ resident engineer for the ongoing Ventura Freeway Improvement Project, crews were replacing guardrails on the interchange. One eastbound lane of the Ventura Freeway and several transition roads were already closed for the work between midnight and 5 a.m.

At the time of the accident, the crane was replacing 20-foot temporary concrete barriers. Crews had already replaced 15 to 20 of the barriers and were scheduled to reopen the freeway lanes and transition roads as soon as the final barrier was in place.

McAllister said the crane, which was in a closed fast lane, tipped and rolled onto its side. Weighed down by the concrete barrier, the arm of the crane fell onto the transition road from the southbound San Diego Freeway to the eastbound Ventura Freeway.

All eastbound lanes of the Ventura Freeway were closed between 8:25 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. as crews righted the crane and moved it out of traffic lanes.

To avoid congestion on both freeways, thousands of commuters spilled onto surface streets.