Northbound lanes of I-35W near downtown Fort Worth reopen to traffic after crash
Part of Interstate 35W was closed to traffic near downtown Fort Worth for most of the day Thursday due to a crash between a car and a semi truck that left the semi leaking gas, according to police and the Texas Department of Transportation.
The crash happened about 5 a.m. TxDOT said in an update about 7:30 p.m. that all lanes have reopened.
All northbound lanes of I-35W were closed at Spur 280 due to the incident, TxDOT said Thursday morning. TxDOT said about 12:30 p.m. that the right lane was open as well as access to Texas 121.
TxDOT cameras showed traffic backed up past Rosedale Street midmorning on Thursday. TxDOT told drivers to expect delays and seek an alternate route.
The exits to Spur 280 and the express lanes remained open.
I-35W in downtown Fort Worth: all NB lanes closed at Spur 280 due to vehicle incident. Expect delays. Seek alternate route.
— I-35 TxDOT PIOs (@I35travel) May 11, 2023
The accident was reported shortly after 5 a.m. and emergency personnel were still on the scene throughout the afternoon, according to police records.
Officials said that efforts to right an overturned 18-wheeler resulted in the fuel spillage on the roadway.
MedStar reported that two people were injured in the accident but were in good condition.
Why did I get an alert on my phone?
Many residents received an alert about the crash on their cell phones. Texas HELP (Highway Emergency Link Platform) Alerts are designed to go to cell phone users in areas that may be impacted by a traffic problem, according to TxDOT.
TxDOT says that it may use the alerts for any freeway closure that is expected to last four or more hours.
The alerts are similar to Amber Alerts and should include a link where residents can sign up for text updates on a specific road closure. The program began in the fall of 2022.
Anyone who has opted into emergency alerts on their phone and is in the geographic area of the closure will automatically get the initial message. Followup messages with updates on an incident are optional if users choose to sign up for them.
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