GALT, CA — Southbound Highway 99 was shut down Wednesday afternoon near Galt after a deadly crash involving two big rigs and two pickup trucks, according to Caltrans District 10. Officials said the collision blocked all lanes at the Jahant Road overcrossing.

By 12:25 p.m., the closure was still in place while officers and highway crews responded to the scene. Caltrans said one person died in the crash, and the investigation into what happened was still underway.

All southbound lanes blocked at Jahant Road overcrossing

Caltrans said the closure affected southbound Highway 99 at the Jahant Road overcrossing. With the roadway blocked in that stretch, traffic could not move through the area.

The shutdown came during the afternoon, a time when drivers often use the corridor for regional travel through the Galt area. Officials did not immediately give an estimate for when the roadway might reopen, leaving the length of the disruption unknown.

People approaching the area were told to use other routes while the crash scene remained active. The closure was limited to the southbound direction, but the blocked lanes created a major interruption for anyone trying to pass through the corridor.

CHP officers are examining how the collision happened

Stockton-area California Highway Patrol officers are handling the investigation. Caltrans said the crash involved two big rigs and two pickup trucks, making it a multivehicle collision with heavy commercial vehicles in the mix.

Authorities have not yet released a detailed sequence of events or said which vehicle may have started the chain of events. The focus at this stage is on documenting the scene and determining how the vehicles came together on the freeway.

The cause of the crash remains under review, and officials have not announced any findings. Investigators were still working Wednesday afternoon as traffic remained stopped nearby.

One person died in the crash

Officials confirmed that one person was killed in the collision. No additional information about the person who died was released Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities did not say how many other people may have been involved or whether anyone else was hurt. They also did not identify the vehicles tied to the fatality, leaving those details to be sorted out as the investigation continues.

Fatal crashes on busy highways can quickly turn into major traffic incidents because responders need room to work and investigate. In this case, the closure remained in place while officials handled both the emergency response and the evidence gathering.

No reopening estimate yet for the highway

Caltrans said there was no current estimate for when southbound Highway 99 would reopen. That left motorists without a clear timeline for resuming normal travel through the area.

The agency advised drivers to take alternate routes and avoid the closed stretch until officials clear the scene. With all lanes blocked, congestion and detours were likely to affect travel beyond the immediate crash site.

Wednesday’s shutdown underscored how quickly a single fatal collision can affect one of the region’s key transportation corridors. Until investigators finish their work, the roadway will remain unavailable to southbound traffic near Jahant Road.

Traffic disruption spread beyond the crash scene

The closure affected more than just the immediate location of the wreck. Because Highway 99 is a major route through the Central Valley, a full southbound shutdown can ripple into surrounding roads as drivers search for ways around the blockage.

Caltrans and CHP had not announced a fixed timetable for clearing the roadway, which meant the impact on afternoon travel could continue for an extended period. Drivers heading through the Galt area were being pushed toward other roads while the investigation and cleanup moved forward.

The freeway remained the center of attention Wednesday as officials worked to determine the circumstances of the fatal crash and prepare the route for reopening once it is safe to do so.