Highway 17 reopens following deadly tanker crash

One of the two southbound lanes of State Route 17 reopened at 3:40 p.m. Saturday, almost eight hours after a fatal collision closed the highway in both directions through Los Gatos, but delays were expected to continue.

The key commuter and tourist route to Santa Cruz and other coastal communities was closed completely after a tanker truck overturned and collided with at least one other vehicle about 8 a.m. Saturday, killing one person. 

The northbound lanes reopened about an hour later, but all southbound traffic was rerouted for nearly seven more hours to State Route 9, an even curvier path over the Santa Cruz Mountains. 

Crews from Santa Clara County Fire, CalFire, CalTrans, Los Gatos Police Department and other agencies were assisting California Highway Patrol with various aspects of the sprawling incident. 

Some vehicles were trapped on the roadway, at least temporarily, due to the blockage and closures, according to the CHP incident log.