PLEASANTON -- A big rig hit the center divider on Interstate 580, dumping a forklift from the truck's bed and causing an oil spill that slowed the Friday afternoon commute.

But while the oily sheen took several hours to clean up, according to the California Highway Patrol, it did not turn eastbound I-580 into a parking lot.

"All things considered, it really wasn't too bad," CHP Officer Peter Van Eckhardt said of the traffic during the nearly 3-1/2 hours the far left lane was closed. Caltrans crews cleaned up the spill by using an absorbent material called dry sweep, a "kitty-litter like substance," Van Eckhardt said.

The truck crashed at 4:36 p.m., Van Eckhardt said, though it is unclear why it hit the center divider just east of the I-680 northbound interchange. The truck's driver suffered minor injuries including a cut on the head.

The forklift landed on its side, and after the CHP called in its heavy-lifting jumbo trucks to remove it, officers saw oil.

The CHP issued a traffic alert at 4:46 p.m. and the far left lane opened again at 7:59 p.m.