News · Insurance & risk
I-35 Bridge Strike in Austin: 18-Wheeler Hits Downtown Overpass
I-35 bridge strike in Austin: an 18-wheeler hit an overpass at 11th and 12th streets and shut southbound I-35 for hours. How truckers avoid a strike.
Questions about how this affects your trucks? Talk to a licensed agent who ran his own authority.
What happened
An I-35 bridge strike in Austin shut down the busiest highway in town on Friday, Oct. 2. An 18-wheeler hit an overpass above the main southbound lanes of I-35. It happened around 11 a.m. near 11th and 12th streets in downtown Austin, east of the Texas Capitol.
All southbound lanes were closed except the far right shoulder. Around 1 p.m., Austin police said the road would stay closed for a couple more hours. Crews had to clean up a lot of debris. Police said the road would stay closed until TxDOT, the Texas Department of Transportation, said it was safe.
The cause is still under investigation. The reports we read did not say if anyone was hurt. They also did not say how tall the truck or the load was.
What it means for owner-operators
A bridge strike is one of the most costly crashes a truck can have. It is not just the truck and the load. The bridge, the cleanup and the hours of closed highway can all come back to whoever is found at fault.
I-35 through downtown Austin is old, busy and full of ramps and overpasses. Low clearances like these exist in cities all over the US. A trailer or a load that is a few inches too tall is enough.
Most bridge strikes are avoidable. Many happen when a driver follows a car GPS, takes a wrong exit, or does not know the real height of the load.
What to do next
- Know your height. Measure your truck and your load, not just the trailer spec. Write it on a sticker in the cab.
- Use a truck GPS or a truck route app that knows low clearances. A car app does not.
- Read every clearance sign. If the sign is close to your height, do not risk it. Stop and find another route.
- Be extra careful on detours and in downtown areas. That is where low bridges hide.
- Stay off the phone in tight city lanes. One missed sign is all it takes.
- After any strike, stop in a safe place, call 911, take photos and report it to your carrier and your insurance.
- Review your coverage before you need it. Our guide, trucking insurance coverage explained, shows how liability and physical damage work.
Questions about your truck insurance? Call TCZ Insurance Agency at 956-526-6727.
Original report
Written by TCZ Insurance Agency in our own words. Read the original for the full story.