A South Texas highway that serves as a critical corridor for binational traffic between the Rio Grande Valley and Mexico has been temporarily shut down after two tractor trailers collided on Tuesday, July 7.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has closed both the north and southbound lanes of Farm-to-Market Road 1015 south of the Mid-Valley city of Weslaco to all traffic, DPS announced in a Facebook post just before noon on Tuesday. DPS said FM 1015 will remain closed for at least two hours south of the intersection with Military Highway, also known as U.S. Highway 281, as HAZMAT crews work to clear diesel fuel that spilled as a result of the crash.
“Hazmat crews are on scene conducting cleanup. Traffic is being diverted through backroads (sic) to continue traveling north and south,” reads the DPS Facebook post.
“We will provide an update once the main lanes reopen. Please avoid the area if possible and drive safely,” the post further reads.
The crash occurred along FM 1015 near the intersection with East Calle Santiago Galvan, also known as Rancho Toluca Road, leaving one of the commercial trucks lying askew across all lanes of travel while the other lay disabled along the road shoulder. Both tractor trailers sustained significant damage to their front ends. Photographs released by the Texas Department of Transportation show the front bumpers of both tractors ripped off and broken windshields. Both commercial drivers were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries, local ABC affiliate KRGV Channel 5 News reported during its noon newscast.
FM 1015 serves as the primary highway connecting both passenger and commercial truck traffic to the Progreso International Bridge that connects the Mid-Valley to the Mazatlan-Durango Highway in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. It is the only international bridge in the Valley with the capacity to handle “tandem and oversize trucks,” according to the bridge’s website. Nuevo Progreso is also one of the most popular travel destinations for Valley locals and tourists looking to spend the day shopping, dining or seeking medical and dental treatments.