The westbound lanes of the I-10 Katy Freeway near Dairy Ashford reopened earlier this morning following a two-vehicle collision involving an 18-wheeler and a car. According to ABC13 Houston, the crash was reported at 5:01 a.m., leading to heavy traffic as the freeway was partially shut down for cleanup and investigation.
The incident quickly escalated when the 18-wheeler, which was to be found on its side, spilled diesel onto the roadway. Initially, only a couple of lanes were made passable as workers scrambled to manage the hazardous material threat, "More than five hours later, crews opened a couple of lanes, but three right lanes remained closed" ABC13 Houston reported. Commuters faced delays, but full access to the freeway resumed by 11 a.m.
Separately, KHOU reported that the crash occurred when the 18-wheeler struck a stalled vehicle near Kirkwood, exacerbating the situation. This led to the big rig overturning, which resulted in the subsequent road closures and traffic issues.
Both sources shared that local law enforcement and cleanup crews were on the scene promptly to ensure a swift reopening of the Katy Freeway. For those seeking to navigate around incidents like these in the future, a traffic map is available to check current conditions, which was provided by KHOU.
