A person was found dead late Sunday near an Interstate 80 on-ramp in San Francisco, authorities said, less than an hour after Caltrans reopened a major stretch of eastbound freeway in SoMa that had been closed all weekend for roadwork.
The California Highway Patrol logged the incident as a fatality at 11:38 p.m. Sunday at the Harrison Street on-ramp near Seventh Street, according to the agency’s dispatch feed.
The location is near the 1.6-mile stretch of eastbound I-80 between 17th and Fourth streets that Caltrans closed over the weekend for repaving and repairs to the Fourth Street off-ramp.
In a statement, CHP spokesperson Mark Andrews said the agency had limited information about the incident but that it appeared “to be a death possibly related to a drug overdose.”
He said CHP could not immediately provide any identifying information about the person.
Dispatch notes show officers were told to respond with police for “OD,” suggesting a possible overdose. The Seventh Street on-ramp intersection was blocked within minutes, according to the dispatch feed. Fire personnel arrived shortly afterward.
The San Francisco County coroner was requested just after midnight and arrived at 12:21 a.m. Monday. The ramp reopened at 12:29 a.m.
The death was reported less than an hour after Caltrans finished roadwork and reopened eastbound I-80 at about 11 p.m. Sunday, roughly seven hours earlier than planned. The closure had been expected to last until 6 a.m. Monday.
As of Monday, authorities had not publicly confirmed the cause of death. The San Francisco County Coroner’s Office is expected to identify the person.