Big rig overturns on Highway 70 near Pulga Bridge, blocks both lanes and spills lumber
April 22, 2025 | By BCFAC News
Pulga, Butte County, California — A semi-truck overturned Tuesday evening on State Route 70 near the Pulga Bridge, blocking both lanes of the narrow, winding mountain highway and spilling a large load of lumber across the roadway.
The crash was reported at 6:10 p.m. by a local Chico resident who was in the area and able to call 911 using a Starlink satellite connection, as there was no cell service at the scene.
The truck had overturned just south of the Pulga Bridge at mile marker 40.59.
At 7:14 p.m., Caltrans District 2 requested a hard closure of the highway on the Butte County side up to Caltrans Station 97.
At 7:15 p.m., Caltrans requested that Quincy CHP stop traffic at the Greenville Wye to prevent more vehicles from entering the closure.
The crash left the semi blocking both lanes of traffic, with lumber scattered across the road and no safe passage through the area.
The driver was not injured.
Tow services from Brower’s Towing were dispatched, and a heavy-duty wrecker was requested to help clear the scene.
Responders also explored the use of a loader from the nearby Pulga maintenance yard to assist with the cleanup.
Witnesses described significant skid marks at the scene and said the driver told others it was his first time on Highway 70.
The stretch of road where the crash occurred is a narrow two-lane mountain highway that winds along steep cliffs above the Feather River and includes many sharp curves.
As night fell, crews were still working to load the scattered lumber onto trucks for removal.
As of 9:30 p.m., Highway 70 remained closed.

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