On Aug. 24 at about 8:56 a.m., a big rig veered slightly off of the highway just south of the landmark restaurant The Cats. California Highway Patrol spokesman Les Bishop said several tires on the vehicle blew out, the driver lost control and the truck clipped several other passenger vehicles before its trailer came to rest on the center divider. No one was injured.

"He spilled his load, which was kind of a fine sand or dirt," Bishop said. "Needless to say, we had the roadway shut down."

Southbound traffic was diverted at Highway 9 until 11:13 a.m., when the slow lane was reopened. The northbound lane was closed intermittently.

John Curtis, Los Gatos Parks and Public Works director, said California Department of Transportation officials requested aid in cleaning up the mess.

"The lead man with Caltrans [in the region] called and said 'Got any equipment I could use?' " he said. "Bruce Smith from our office ran the big front-end loader to get all of the sand cleaned up."

Los Gatos­Monte Sereno police officers also assisted by redirecting traffic and keeping drivers from entering the highway at the S. Santa Cruz Avenue entrance, Capt. Dave Gravel said.

"We were advised that there were a lot of irate or disgruntled people who didn't understand why they couldn't get through," Gravel said. "Our officers were out there as much for traffic control as to control the peace."

Caltrans made temporary repairs to the center divider and all lanes were reopened shortly after 1 p.m., Bishop said.