For nearly 12 hours, a massive pipe snagged under a busy San Antonio highway left drivers stunned. It’s going to have a lasting impact on commutes for the foreseeable future.
At about 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, an oversized commercial truck hauling a massive metal cylinder seemingly misjudged the height of the Loop 410 overpass that crosses Palo Alto Road. The truck’s load struck the underbelly of the overpass, which measures 14 feet and 9 inches (according to the yellow sign tacked to the highway), leaving the truck stuck in place for hours. The other side of the highway has a clearance of 14 feet and 7 inches, according to the yellow sign.
“Officers were dispatched to the listed location for a [major accident]… The cylinder object struck the bottom portion of the SW Loop 410 bridge under the [eastbound] main lanes. No injuries were reported,” a San Antonio Police Department spokesperson told MySA.
The SAPD spokesperson says the call first came in to dispatchers at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and officers finally cleared the scene at 4:35 a.m. the following morning.
The wreck left drivers slack-jawed, quickly snatching their phones to spread word of the chaotic scene. Commenters ogling the plethora of videos shared online had valid questions: How did the driver clear one overpass but scrape the second? Shouldn’t both sections of the overpass be the same height?
No word from the Texas Department of Transportation on that front just yet. But, of course, others were quick to make jokes about letting the air out of the tires or about this being a conspiracy theory to start another highway project.
In reality, though, the situation was quite serious. A TxDOT spokesperson told MySA that the wreck warranted a bridge inspection to assess the damage and emergency repairs in the aftermath. Loop 410 will be slightly affected for the foreseeable future.
“Emergency repairs have been completed, and Loop 410 remains open to traffic. Southbound SH 16 has reopened to traffic. One right lane on eastbound Loop 410 remains closed and will remain closed until additional repairs can be completed,” the TxDOT spokesperson said.