Highway 101 is back open again after a fatal tractor-trailer rig accident closed northbound lanes on the Gaviota coastline for more than five hours Thursday.
The crash happened at around 5 a.m. CHP investigators say a northbound truck drifted off the highway at Calle Mariposa Reina, which is about 30 miles west of Santa Barbara. The truck smashed into a tree, killing the driver.
The crash spread debris and fuel across the northbound lanes, requiring the use of a hazardous materials team to clean up the mess. It took more than five hours to fully reopen the highway.