Suspected drunk driver crashes into highway construction site, closing I-880 in Oakland for hours

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Three steel girders, 85 feet long each, were scattered across four lanes of I-880 Northbound at 23rd Avenue in Oakland Saturday morning. 

The CHP said a 28 year old woman from Hayward was speeding in a construction zone, upwards of 100 miles an hour and under the influence, when she crashed into support beams holding the steel girders around 3:40 AM.

That part of the highway was shut down for seven hours 

CHP Officer Matthew Hamer said, “I have not seen a collision that’s caused this much destruction with just one vehicle.”

The woman was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries and later arrested for DUI according to the CHP. 

“We do not believe there was any confusion as to roadway surfaces we don’t believe any of that was a factor in this collision,” said Hamer.

Driver Miguel Menjivar said his drive should’ve taken 10 minutes, but because of the closure and traffic backup it took an hour and a half.

The construction is part of a Caltrans project to replace the 23rd Avenue bridge. The bridge was set to reopen next week. Caltrans said the crash shouldn’t affect the schedule or the safety of the structure. 

“The support beams at this point aren’t affecting the main integrity of the bridge. These are support beams and the main beams are in tact,” said Vince Jacala with Caltrans District 4.

Jacala said Saturday morning was the first time in a while crews weren’t out working on this project. If they were, this crash could’ve been much worse, “Overnight work is very dangerous. It’s not just dangerous just for construction, but also for motorists. We want everyone to be safe.”