Today turned grim along State Highway 183 in Irving, where a fatal crash involving multiple vehicles and a pedestrian shut down the eastbound lanes at the North Belt Line Road exit. The closure is expected to drag on for several hours while investigators work the scene and cleanup crews clear the wreckage, snarling traffic on SH 183 and the surrounding ramps.
The Irving Police Department flagged the shutdown in a traffic alert on its Facebook page, noting that the eastbound closure at the North Belt Line Road exit was “due to a fatal accident involving multiple vehicles and a pedestrian” and asking drivers to steer clear of the area and find another way around, according to the Irving Police Department.
Officials Say Eastbound Lanes Could Be Closed for Hours
An OCRed traffic alert from the Texas Department of Transportation's Dallas district, timestamped 2:41 a.m., also showed the closure and warned that eastbound lanes could remain blocked for several hours while crews handle the scene, per Keep It Moving Dallas. Morning drive times through the corridor are expected to spike as investigators document the crash and tow trucks remove the damaged vehicles.
Deadly Wrecks Are Nothing New on SH 183
The SH 183 stretch through Irving has seen more than its share of serious and fatal collisions in recent years, including a pedestrian death reported in November that shut eastbound lanes for hours, according to reporting by The Dallas Morning News. Traffic safety advocates and transportation officials have long cited high speeds and a tangle of interchanges along SH 183 as key factors behind the area’s crash history.
What Drivers Should Do Now
Irving police are urging drivers to avoid the North Belt Line Road exit altogether and stick to alternate routes until the scene is cleared, and they are asking anyone with information or video of the incident to contact investigators, according to the Irving Police Department. Motorists can also keep an eye on TxDOT traffic updates and local news outlets for word on when lanes reopen and which detours are moving the fastest.
