Parts Of I-30 Reopen After Friday Morning Chain-Reaction Crash
DALLAS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - Eighteen hours after a massive pileup, Interstate-30, near Rockwall is flowing freely again. The highway reopened to traffic just before eight o'clock tonight.
But it was a much different story all day Friday. An early morning chain-reaction crash entangled at least 14 vehicles. The wreck happened in thick fog over the Lake Ray Hubbard Bridge.
Driver Christopher Sosa was arrested at the scene on a DUI charge, but it is not clear if he caused the crash or was simply caught up in it like everyone else.
CBS 11 News was able to make contact with one of the drivers in the crash. The man talked about the density of the fog. He said he could barely see an 18-wheeler that struck the median in front of him.
The impact of the crash though lasted all day. The shutdown and backups affected drivers and area businesses.
As cars crept down I-30, squeezing into the few open lanes, business at Alejandro's in Rowlett slowed to a stop.
One employee said, "We've been watching the news on our phones to see when our business is gonna start up again."
Friday is usually the busiest night of the week at the restaurant. Instead, the only customers at the bar were those taking a break from sitting in traffic.
"We just decided to go ahead and let everything die down and hit one of our favorite restaurants," a frustrated driver admitted.
At the Comfort Suites down the road, Shannon Windes waited for guests to arrive for the weekend. "It's dead right now," she said laughing. "Only one person's checked in.
Windes said those who made room reservations were having trouble getting to the hotel and those already checked in to their rooms were having trouble leaving. "A lot of guests have been trying to leave and come back 'cause they can't really go anywhere. It's backed up everywhere," she said.
Hope sprung eternal for business owners after the highway reopened and traffic began to flow.
While I-30 over Lake Ray Hubbard is completely reopened, the westbound lanes of the interstate in Royse City, where there was yet another accident with an 18-wheeler, remained closed Friday night. That portion of I-30 isn't expected to reopen until Saturday morning.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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