AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Hours after a deadly crash, the mainlanes of southbound Interstate 35 at the upper-lower deck split just north of downtown finally re-opened around noon Thursday.
Austin Police say a crash involving an 18-wheeler happened around 1 a.m. near Airport Boulevard, right at the split headed southbound.
One person was killed in the crash, police said. No other vehicles were involved.
Police said the 18-wheeler reportedly lost control and struck a guardrail near the split, causing the cab of the semi to come to rest on the lower deck while the trailer remained on the upper deck. The lower deck re-opened to traffic shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday morning, with crews continuing to work to clear the scene into the mid-morning hours. The upper deck and frontage road lanes were re-opened by noon, according to TxDOT officials.
A fuel spill of about 100 gallons of diesel complicated the cleanup process, officers said, with fuel coming down from the mainlanes through the drainage system and onto the frontage road below the highway.
