Local News in Brief : Orange : Overturned Rig Ties Up Traffic for 2 Hours

A tractor-trailer rig rolled over Thursday afternoon on East Chapman Avenue near the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway off-ramp, tying up traffic for more than two hours.

The driver, who was unhurt, apparently lost control of the truck while turning onto Chapman from the off-ramp and spilled a load of dirt and branches across the street, blocking traffic, said Orange Police Sgt. Timm Browne.

The California Highway Patrol closed the Chapman off-ramps on both sides of the freeway when asked to do so by Orange police after the 1 p.m. accident.

The closures backed up traffic in the northbound lanes to the 17th Street exit, 1 1/2 miles away, and the southbound side also was jammed, said CHP Officer Michael Lundquist. The off-ramps were shut down for about two hours, he said.

Because Chapman is one of the major arterials into Orange, Villa Park and other communities in the area, the off-ramp closures affected many drivers, he said. Some tried to get onto Chapman by getting off at the next off-ramp and doubling back onto the freeway, only to find that the Chapman on-ramp was also blocked off there.

“We had people driving circles on the freeway,” Lundquist said.