Semi-truck crash on Highway 17

If you’re driving northbound on Highway 17, you may see a huge pile of old tires. Those old tires are the only things left of what could have been a catastrophic accident Monday night on one of the busiest stretches of roadway in Santa Cruz County.

CHP officers said the semi-truck driver was traveling too fast. He was going between 50 and 55 miles an hour around the curb just as he veered off to the right. The turn is commonly called the fishhook because of its tight, narrow turn connecting Highway 17 and Highway 1.

The driver punched through the cement guardrail and plummeted off the bridge onto northbound Highway 17, somehow missing any cars.

Bradley Sadek, a CHP officer in Santa Cruz said that it’s amazing no other vehicles were hit because that highway is normally congested.

Caltrans said the big rig knocked out 70 feet of the concrete wall onto the highway below. Tuesday crews worked to put in a temporary guardrail that meets safety requirements until the permanent one can be installed.

Caltrans engineers don’t believe the accident caused structural damage and said the bridge itself is safe to drive on, but as for the bridge rail, that could take some time to determine a long-term fix.

As for the time frame of the new bridge rail, Caltrans said it’s unknown because a contract has to go out.