A fallen tree caused the closure of one stretch of Hecker Pass
Highway for about 90 minutes Tuesday afternoon, according to the
California Highway Patrol.
A fallen tree caused the closure of one stretch of Hecker Pass Highway for about 90 minutes Tuesday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The tree came to rest slung across a telephone wire suspended roughly 20 feet above the roadway, according to the CHP.
CHP officers were called to the scene west of Sprig Lake at 1:34 p.m., with Caltrans crews arriving soon after. The road reopened just before 3 p.m.
Several motorists opted to drive under the tree soon after it fell, said Gary Ichikawa, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Game who was on his way to Moss Landing when the tree fell.
“You could see people driving under it, but it kept getting lower and lower,” Ichikawa said.
Emergency crews then arrived and closed the roadway, he said, much to the chagrin of one motorist.
“She said, ‘Why can’t I drive underneath it?'” Ichikawa said. “She started giving him the business.”
When asked if the road closure was causing him to fall behind schedule, he said, “It’s making us safe.”
As of 5 p.m., the CHP said it believed no residents had lost telephone service.
