Updated: Highway 17 Opened at Alma Bridge Road After Six-Car Crash

Update: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23: All northbound lanes of Highway 17 are cleared following two early morning crashes Wednesday involving six cars.

According to CHP spokesman D.J. Sarabia, the busy thoroughfare's closure was caused when two accidents occurred on northbound Highway 17 at the Alma Bridge Road exit, each involving three vehicles.

No injuries and property damage only was reported in the first accident, which occurred at 6:56 a.m. In the second accident, immediately after the first one, three other cars crashed right behind the scene of the first wreck, blocking the number-one lane for about 10 minutes, Sarabia said.

"Everything got moved to the right-hand shoulder ... There were no injuries to any party involved," Sarabia added. "The cars were still on scene for several hours, but the lanes were cleared."

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Highway 17 was completely blocked early this morning following a six-vehicle collision on the northbound side near Alma Bridge Road, in Santa Clara County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

On our Patch commute map, it showed the accident occurred at 7:44 a.m. and that CHP officials are still trying to clear the Highway, with an expected completion time of 9:47 a.m.

The right-hand shoulder of Highway 17 is blocked due to the accident around Madrone Drive, the commute map alert said.

CHP officer Sarah Jackson was advising motorists this morning to seek alternate routes as the accident was expected to take several hours to clear.

The accident's location is about two miles south of the center of Los Gatos and about 14 miles north of Scotts Valley.