Emergency crews are working to determine the extent of a spill after a semi carrying 2,000 gallons of tar collided with a power pole on U.S. 199 Thursday. | Photo courtesy of the Six Rivers National Forest

(Updated at 4:18 p.m.)

U.S. 199 has reopene to one-way traffic after being shut down for hours while crews from multiple agency worked to clean up a tar spill after a big rig collided with a power pole.

Part of the investigation is to determine the extent of the spill, according to Gonzalez. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is still trying to determine if the tar spill went into the nearby Smith River, she said.

According to the Six Rivers National Forest, 2,000 gallons of tar was spilled onto the roadway. National Forest personnel are working with CDFW, Caltrans, the highway patrol, the California Office of Emergency Services and the Del Norte Office of Emergency Services to “maximize containment.”

According to District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard, the Big Rock Community Services District’s water system has been turned off as a result of the collision. The collision occurred near milepost marker 10.5 on U.S. 199, a stretch of highway that was the site of a resurfacing project after several incidences of people losing control of their vehicle and crashing into the river, Howard said.

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