Next time the sign at the I-80/Cap City exchange reads something like:

ACCIDENT AT TRUXEL ROAD
USE ALTERNATE ROUTES

I will heed the warning and not go “Well, how bad could it be?”

Well, crawling three miles in forty-five minutes is about how bad it could be.

California Highway Patrol officials said the truck was carrying loads of dirt that ended up all over the freeway. All westbound lanes were closed for about an hour with two of the three lanes re-opening at 9:40 a.m. (News10 story)

It was sometime very shortly after that when I cleared the jam.

So yes, next time I am warned to pursue alternate routes, I will listen.