Big rig crash causes closure of Interstate 5 from Castaic to Kern County

California Highway Patrol officers closed Interstate 5 from Castaic to Kern County after receiving reports of a big-rig crash involving a chemical spill on Wednesday morning. 

The collision involved a tanker truck and a big rig with a hazardous spill of liquid chlorine on the northbound lanes, according to the California Department of Transportation’s District 6. 

The crash caused an hours-long closure of the 5 freeway between Lebec Road in Frazier Park and Parker Road in Castaic “due to a hazmat collision,” the California Highway Patrol Newhall office said in a Tweet. 

A SigAlert was issued just before 8:30 a.m. and lasted until approximately 1:30 p.m., when the CHP announced that all lanes opened. 

“We do have Kern County Fire and a Hazmat team responding to the crash,” said Andrew Freeborn, spokesman for the Kern County Fire Department, at the start of the response. 

By 9 a.m., CHP officers reopened the Lake Hughes onramp to the northbound lanes of the 5 freeway and reopened all southbound lanes by noon. Northbound traffic was being diverted to Lebec Road “to bypass the spill. We are holding southbound traffic for now,” CHP Fort Tejon said. 

Drivers were advised to detour via southbound State Route 14 to State Route 58 or via State Route 126 to Highway 101.