Bluff Wreck Triggers LG Traffic Jam
A wreck involving an 18-wheeler on the Bluff and roadwork on Travis Street brought traffic to a gridlock for several hours in La Grange on Monday, Dec. 20.
The wreck happened around 10:08 p.m. near the bottom of the Bluff on US 77 just south of La Grange, according to a report from the Texas Department of Transportation. The report said 55-year-old Armando Villarreal of San Antonio was driving a 1992 Peterbilt truck tractor north on US 77. The truck was pulling a dump trailer loaded with gravel.
The crash report said the 18-wheeler was traveling too fast for a curve in the roadway. The load of gravel shifted in the trailer, causing the rig to roll onto its left side. The load of gravel spilled onto the roadway. The dump trailer slid into the other lane of traffic, striking a southbound pickup pulling a trailer loaded with lumber.
The pickup was a gray 2007 Toyota Tundra driven by Julio C. Caceres-Arriaga, 48 of La Grange. There were three passengers in the pickup as well: Antonio Hernandez, 41; Marcos Garcia, 28; and Jose Anaya, 38. The pickup and trailer smashed into the concrete guardrail. The driver and all three passengers sustained minor injuries.
Fayette County EMS responded, but all of the injured declined hospital transport. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not injured. La Grange Fire Department also responded to help clear the roadway. Fayette County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene. Emergency workers remained on scene clearing the wreckage until around 2:50 p.m.
Southbound traffic on South Jefferson Street (US 77) in La Grange stood at a standstill for several hours while workers cleared the wreck scene. Northbound traffic into La Grange was diverted via FM 609 through Hostyn.
Also on Monday, a contractor for the Texas Department of Transportation conducted striping work on the eastbound side of West Travis St. (Business 71) near the Colorado River Bridge.
“We are in the process of removing and reinstalling new lane configurations in the area of the bridge,” said TxDOT spokesperson Lucean Kuykendal. “This is to facilitate roadway work needed to tie into the new bridge approaches.”
The work limited traffic to one lane on Monday, which backed up vehicles on Travis Street for several blocks in both directions and along Country Club Drive.
Kuykendal said TxDOT plans to re-stripe the westbound side after the New Year.