Screenshot from Metro video.Interstate 10 East near downtown Houston was down to two lanes early Wednesday morning, Dec. 13, 2017, after five tractor-trailer rigs hit the Houston Ave. bridge overnight, The Houston Chronicle reports.
Houston Police Department (HPD) Lt. Larry Crowson told the news agency that the problem began around 1 a.m. when an 18-wheeler towing a backhoe on a flat bed struck a steel beam beneath the bridge, pulling it down into the traffic lanes. Four more trucks then drove into the steel beam, which ripped up the semis’ trailers and caused all the trucks to pull over on the side of the freeway. The HPD and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) closed the freeway to assess the damage.
“Talking to TxDOT, apparently the reason we have so many problems with this bridge is it’s the lowest bridge in the Houston area,” Crowson told the news agency, “so if truck drivers aren’t paying attention to their load, they’ll strike the bridge.TxDOT had a contractor come out to cut off the damaged steel beam, and all traffic lanes were open by 7:30 a.m.
