Grapes spill onto Highway 101 offramp in Petaluma

White wine grapes - probably newly harvested and headed for processing - were crushed prematurely Tuesday morning when they fell from a truck and landed on a Highway 101 offramp in southern Petaluma.

The large pile of grape clusters fell onto the offramp at Lakeville Highway, said CHP Officer Kerri Post.

Officers learned of the 20-foot by 20-foot mess from a passing caller at 7:22 a.m.

When they arrived, they found grapes spread from the offramp into the intersection and no sign of who lost them, Post said.

The CHP considered the mess a possible traffic hazard but no problems were reported.

“People are just driving over them,” she said.

It is grape harvest time and such spills aren’t uncommon, especially on certain roadway curves.

“Probably they just fell off the top. They overload (the trucks). It happens a lot during this time of year,” said Post.

A Caltrans crew armed with brooms was expected to clean up the squished grapes.