FORT WORTH, Texas – Freezing rain has induced harmful and icy conditions on many roads in North Texas. Here’s an summary of what drivers are dealing with all through the realm.
FOX 4 Weather Meteorologist Evan Andrews mentioned temperatures will keep under freezing all day Tuesday and there is extra precipitation within the forecast. That means something that falls will follow the roadways and switch to ice.
“This is one of those situations where if you are sitting home and you’re watching, just hang there. It’s going to probably get progressively worse as the day goes on,” he mentioned.
MORE: Winter Storm Warning for North Texas extended until Thursday
Follow under for reside updates on the Dallas Winter Storm. Mobile customers click here.
Tarrant County
TxDOT Fort Worth District offers an replace on highway conditions
The Texas Department of Transportation’s crews in Fort Worth shall be working lengthy hours to clear the roads. Good Day talked to Val Lopez with TxDOT in Fort Worth about how the pre-treated roads are holding up and the place the sand vans are getting used. Plus, it’s going to quickly be time to convey out the plows.
Dozens of individuals in Fort Worth needed to be despatched to the hospital Monday after freezing rain induced many automotive crashes.
MedStar officers mentioned inside the previous 24 hours, its crews have responded to greater than 142 crashes together with 16 rollovers. Eight individuals have been handled for hypothermia. Seven of them had been taken to space hospitals and 5 are in critical situation. Nine different individuals had been injured in critical falls after slipping on the ice.
The Texas Department of Transportation has handled most of the main roads within the space with brine, however there are nonetheless some harmful areas similar to a strip of Highway 114 close to Interstate 35W.
Road conditions worsening in Tarrant County
FOX 4’s Shannon Murray is reporting reside from Tarrant County this morning. She’s seen a number of crash as drivers attempt to navigate the icy roads.
Semi-trucks are caught on the highway close to Texas Motor Speedway and there’s a main site visitors backup behind them.
People touring via North Texas from out of state had been shocked by the climate. The Campbells are making their solution to Daytona Beach, Florida.
“We had no idea. When we left Branson, it was sunny and warm. And when we got to Tulsa it turned cold,” Richard Campbell mentioned.
Chip Waggoner’s site visitors map was all crimson due to the various accidents in North Texas round 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Gerardo Gutierrez drives for Uber and Lyft. He shared a bit of recommendation for many who completely should be out on the roadways.
“They want to drive like it’s dry outside and it’s not,” he mentioned. “I just take my time. We get there when we get there.”
RELATED: Ice on I-20 causes 20-mile traffic backup in Palo Pinto and Parker counties
Denton County
Black ice, slush cowl Denton County roads
Icy conditions are making for a harmful drive on Tuesday morning in Denton. FOX 4’s Tisia Muzinga takes a take a look at the conditions that left many 18-wheelers struggling.
It took FOX 4’s crews almost two hours simply to get from Dallas to Denton due to the ice on the roads. There had been plenty of stalled autos alongside with means with tow vans and wreckers attempting to get them out of the roadway.
In Lewisville, an 18-wheeler slid on some ice on southbound Interstate 35 and went over a guardrail.
Half of the rig ended up on one aspect of the guardrail and the opposite half was on the opposite aspect, subsequent to the assist of the overhead signal.
Crews moved the signal to the service highway. They nonetheless must verify on the structural integrity of the signal.
The service highway stays closed at Business 121.
The FOX 4 crew additionally witnessed a number of 18-wheelers get caught on a bridge close to the Denton Buc-ee’s. Another semi slid backward and blocked site visitors. State troopers needed to direct site visitors to get round that semi.
RELATED: Icy roads cause several crashes, stalls traffic across North Texas on Monday
Dallas County
TxDOT Dallas District offers an replace on highway conditions
Road conditions are treacherous throughout North Texas and they’re anticipated to worsen because the day continues. FOX 4 talked to Kenna Mitchell from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Dallas District for an replace on present conditions.
The metropolis of Dallas says it has about 42 sanding vans out treating bridges and main roads, however some individuals are nonetheless going the additional mile to assist individuals who acquired caught.
Realtor Patrick Abell from Garland drove round Dallas County in his Jeep on Tuesday with the aim of giving people a useful pull.
Hounan Reyes stopped to assist the driving force of an 18-wheeler get free from the ice. It labored, however his truck acquired caught within the course of.
Kevin Deras, the driving force of the 18-wheeler, regarded to return the favor.
“We’re going to have to scrape a little bit of ice from under those tires so he can gain some traction,” Deras mentioned.
He dug on the ice, however the avenue was too slick to get Reyes out.
That’s the place Abell and his Jeep got here in.
“Just out having fun. I’ve been picking people up taking them to work checking on houses, doing what we do,” he mentioned.
Abell and his Jeep had been in a position to get the massive truck transferring.
Abell mentioned he helped 25 individuals on the roads.
“I’m a real estate agent, just out playing because I can’t show houses,” he mentioned.
People getting caught on the roads was frequent on Tuesday and Abell was not the one Good Samaritan serving to out.
“I go to try to pull into Burger King, and he was kind of like broke down right here,” mentioned Greg Foster. “I’m just like I’m going to pull over and try to help this guy.”
Foster pulled over to assist Andre Owens’ Chevy Silverado, which was caught within the ice.
Driver dies after going ‘airborne’ off icy Arlington overpass, witnesses say
“I’m just trying to go around this curb right here, and I got stuck,” mentioned Owens.
Foster was ultimately in a position to get Owens free.
“Being a Good Samaritan he came and helped me out, so I’m very appreciative of that,” Owens mentioned.
Collin County
The pre-treated highways just like the Central Expressway and Dallas North Tollway between Dallas and Plano had been okay early Tuesday morning. But they’re beginning to get icy now that it is sleeting once more.
FOX 4’s Hanna Battah mentioned the tollway is now coated with a layer of ice. The driver in entrance of her had his hazard lights on and everyone seems to be taking it sluggish.
Collin County roads froze as winter climate hits North Texas
Ride alongside with FOX 4’s Hanna Battah via Plano this morning the place the ice and sleet have made highway conditions very harmful for drivers.
On Monday, dozens of drivers had been concerned in a pileup crash in Plano on the Central Expressway exit ramp to Plano Parkway.
Driver Varshil Parikh mentioned he was touring about 35 miles per hour when he crashed right into a FedEx truck.
“I tried to break, but I couldn’t,” he recalled. “So, I just tried slamming the brakes. Stop. Slamming the brakes. Stop.”
Plano firefighters mentioned from that time it was one automobile after one other. Thankfully, nobody was significantly injured.
Further north close to McKinney, site visitors conditions are a bit worse. Only one lane of site visitors was getting by on Hwy. 75 simply south of the Hwy. 121 merge close to Anna and Melissa Tuesday morning.
All TEXpress managed lanes within the space stay closed due to the inclement climate.
Live Traffic Conditions
For the most recent site visitors updates, obtain the FOX 4 Fastlane app or comply with Traffic reporter Chip Waggoner on Twitter.
story by Source link