An early-morning crash on northbound I-35 near the U.S. 183 on-ramp in North Austin left one person dead and turned a quiet Saturday into a traffic headache. Austin police say a single vehicle crashed on the mainlanes, squeezing traffic down to one lane and shutting off the on-ramp. Two people were taken to a hospital, where one of them later died.
According to KEYE Austin, the collision happened in the 7200 block of North I-35 northbound, with the initial 911 call coming in at about 4:06 a.m. Station reports noted that TxDOT cameras showed lane closures on the main lanes and at the U.S. 183 on-ramp, and officials said the area stayed closed while crews worked the scene.
Commuter delays and response
Drivers rolling into the early commute hit major delays as traffic was funneled into a single lane and vehicles were diverted around the crash site. The I-35 corridor has already seen multiple serious incidents this spring. A deadly crash on April 16 shut down all lanes near Grand Avenue Parkway, choking off the highway and stalling traffic for miles, according to MySA. That earlier mess served as a reminder that one bad crash in the pre-dawn hours can freeze the whole corridor, especially with ongoing construction and ever-present congestion.
A larger safety problem
Safety advocates have been warning for years that state-controlled, high-speed roads like I-35 and U.S. 183 carry a disproportionate share of Austin’s deadliest wrecks. Local tracking by Vision Zero ATX shows many of the city’s fatal crashes clustering on these big corridors. The group points to roadway design, engineering fixes, and stepped-up enforcement as key tools to bring the numbers down. Officials, meanwhile, keep repeating the same message: slow down, stay alert, and be extra careful overnight and around construction zones.
What officials say and what’s next
Austin police say they are still investigating the latest crash and have released few details about the people involved or what might have led up to the wreck. They also did not immediately provide an estimated time for when all lanes and the U.S. 183 on-ramp would reopen, KEYE Austin reported. Anyone who may have seen the collision or has information is urged to contact APD traffic detectives as the investigation moves forward.
