Two contractors are dead after a crash shut down all westbound lanes of State Highway 71 near the Travis-Bastrop county line early Thursday morning. The closure happened at Tucker Hill Lane, inside an active construction zone, before crews reopened the highway roughly two hours later.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the crash closed all westbound lanes of SH 71 near the Travis County-Bastrop County line early Thursday. TxDOT said the crash happened specifically at Tucker Hill Lane. As of an earlier update from the agency, officials had not said how many vehicles were involved or whether anyone beyond the two contractors was hurt.
Work Zone Where Fatalities Occurred
The area where the crash happened is part of an ongoing TxDOT construction project, as reported by KXAN. That station reported that two contractors were killed in the crash. The highway has since reopened, according to the same report.
The closure lasted about two hours before lanes were restored to traffic, per CBS Austin's reporting. That outlet's account notes that, at the time of its update, officials still had not detailed how many vehicles were involved in the crash or whether any other injuries resulted from it.
Work Zone Deaths Remain Rare Locally
Deadly crashes involving construction workers are statistically uncommon in the Austin area, even as work-zone wrecks overall remain a persistent problem across Texas. KXAN's report notes that the last deadly crash involving a construction worker in the Austin district occurred in 2021, underscoring how unusual Thursday's deaths are for the region.
Statewide, the numbers tell a broader story. TxDOT recorded more than 28,000 traffic crashes in Texas work zones in 2025, resulting in 203 fatalities, the agency told KXAN. Of those deaths, seven were construction workers, while the station's report notes the majority of fatalities were motorists and their passengers rather than crew members.
Same Stretch Has Seen Deadly Crashes Before
This is not the first fatal wreck on this particular stretch of highway. In March 2024, one person died and another was critically injured in an overnight crash on SH 71 near the same Travis-Bastrop county line, according to KXAN. That earlier incident involved a vehicle rollover on the eastbound side of the highway, between the 5546-5552 blocks, the outlet reported at the time.
The corridor has also seen other serious collisions more recently. A four-vehicle crash on SH 71 in Bastrop County in February sent six people to the hospital, according to CBS Austin. Thursday's fatal crash remains under investigation, and no additional details on its cause have been released.
