An overturned 18-wheeler caused havoc on San Antonio's East Side on Tuesday, with lanes blocked on Interstate 35 near Space Center Drive for nearly 18 hours after the truck, carrying a cargo of quarantined vegetables, flipped. The resulting traffic congestion turned what would normally be routine commutes into an exhausting trial for drivers.
The closures begain around 1 a.m., sent drivers circling on detours, and raised eyebrows as to why the mess wasn't cleaned up faster. It turns out, the truck was transporting a load of vegetables that Homeland Security had condemned and quarantined - possibly because they were infested with insect larvae, Fox San Antonio reported. "Trying to get where you need to be, and on time, it's not going to happen," Sarah Sherrill, who works near the accident site, told the news outlet.
The incident became more complicated when the trailer split open while being towed away, necessitating a hazardous materials crew to manage the vegetable offloading. As traffic rerouted, many, like Gabrielle Holmes, found themselves caught in unexpected jams. "It had to turn me around, and then there was traffic downtown because all those people were trying to do the same thing and so it just made everything crazy," Holmes explained in an interview with Fox San Antonio.
Details about the potentially dangerous cargo's origins, were shed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in a statement. "The shipment of kale and baby carrots arrived from Mexico at Laredo Port of Entry as a transit and export shipment destined for export to Canada under a U.S. Department of Agriculture transit permit. It was quarantined, sealed for transit and export to Canada and was in transit when the accident occurred in San Antonio," the agency disclosed, "Further inquiry regarding cleanup is best directed to USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine Public Affairs."
Amid the chaos, drivers like Tanya Garcia faced not only delayed travels but unanticipated complications. "It’s very frustrating and I had not put gas because I was going to get gas by her house, but I had to exit," Garcia remarked, as per Fox San Antonio's report. All lanes were eventually reopened late Tuesday night, closing the lengthy chapter of disruption.
