Southbound Interstate 35 in downtown Austin was severely paralyzed Friday morning after a tractor-trailer struck an overpass at 11th and 12th streets. The crash forced an indefinite closure of all main lanes, creating massive traffic delays and forcing drivers to seek alternate routes as state transportation inspectors assessed structural damage.
The collision happened at approximately 11 a.m. on October 2, when an 18-wheeler crashed directly into the bridge structure above Central Austin’s major thoroughfare. According to the Austin Police Department, the impact forced the immediate closure of every southbound lane at the 11th and 12th street overpasses, leaving only the far-right shoulder open for a trickle of delayed vehicles.
Traffic Backups and Transit Impacts Along the Downtown Corridor
Commuters caught in the bottleneck faced severe delays as congestion quickly compounded across the metropolitan area. By noon, data from the Texas Department of Transportation indicated that southbound traffic was backed up all the way to Airport Boulevard. Vehicles crawled at an average speed of roughly 11 mph, with travel times stretching past 30 minutes between U.S. 183 and Cesar Chavez Street.
Traffic database resource SigAlert reported that congestion near exits 234 and 235 extended back toward East 51st Street. City and TxDOT traffic cameras captured bumper-to-bumper vehicles near the impact site as emergency crews and law enforcement officers worked to manage the flow.
Debris Cleanup and Structural Safety Inspections by TxDOT
Authorities stressed that the highway would remain closed until engineers could thoroughly review the bridge’s integrity. In a social media update posted shortly after 1:15 p.m., police officials warned that the shuttered roadway would stay closed for several more hours.
Police reiterated that the primary goal of the afternoon hours involved cleaning up significant debris left scattered across the tarmac from the collision. The Texas Department of Transportation’s Austin District confirmed the closure while inspectors checked the overpass for critical structural fissures or hidden damage.
Recent Bridge Strikes Along Texas Highways
Friday’s incident follows a similar commercial vehicle bridge strike that disrupted the state’s central transportation arterial. Exactly one week prior, another bridge strike on September 25 forced a shutdown of southbound I-35 at Onion Creek Parkway starting at 5:45 a.m., tangling morning rush-hour traffic before reopening at roughly 9 a.m. that morning.
Authorities Urge Drivers to Use Alternative Corridors
Emergency responders from Austin-Travis County EMS were dispatched to the scene to evaluate the vehicle occupants and check for any potential injuries among motorists in adjacent lanes. While authorities investigated the exact cause of the crash, law enforcement urged drivers to utilize alternative corridors such as the MoPac Expressway (Loop 1) or Highway 183 to bypass the downtown gridlock.
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