A crash involving several vehicles, including an 18-wheeler, caused road closures for hours on Wednesday in Georgetown.
The Georgetown Police Department said six vehicles and an 18-wheeler were involved in the collision on Interstate 35 heading southbound, near the 257 mile marker. The crash happened sometime before 6:45 a.m.
Three people were taken to a nearby hospital, with two in serious condition, according to police.
All southbound lanes were shut down, resulting in hours-long delays for drivers.
“I’ve been waiting since 7:15 this morning, headed to my job in Austin,” said commuter Tracy Lawrence. “Throughout all these side streets and they keep looping me back to traffic. I’ve never seen this. I’ve [lived] here two years now. I’ve never seen before in my life.”
People were seen handing out waters to drivers waiting in line for the frontage road to reopen on Rockmoore Drive. Many drivers told KVUE they were forced to call out of work after not being able to find a viable alternate route.
“I went to Leander road and Leander road was shut too, so then I went around the neighborhood trying to find a backway, no luck,” said driver Patty Schrader.
Georgetown Police Chief said Cory Tchida said first responders had limited options for diversion.
“As for detours, the crash happened on southbound IH 35 just south of Leander Road. It encompassed all of the SB [southbound] lanes and the frontage road. There was no detour option other than Leander road,” Tchida said. “Terrible spot for the crash due to Texas crushed stone occupying all the real estate on the west side of the road.”
Just before 2 p.m., Georgetown police said I-35 southbound had reopened to traffic, but the frontage road is still closed. Police said drivers should expect traffic to still be heavy.
