CORPUS CHRISTI - Traffic is still being diverted away from I-37 at the Tancahua overpass due to an overturned propane tanker. The truck crashed just after making the curve from Highway 181 to I-37. Fortunately there was no leak of the tanker's contents.

A second tanker truck has started to offload the propane from the crashed truck, but wreckers still need to right the vehicle. The Texas Department of Transportation estimates it will take another 4 hours to clean up the mess.

For now, police recommend anyone who wants to head to Portland to take the Joe Fulton Corridor, which is on the other side of the Port of Corpus Christi. You could use the on-ramps in downtown to get on the Harbor Bridge heading north, but don't try and use I-37.

If heading to Corpus Christi from Portland take the Joe Fulton Corridor exit as well. There are no officers in place to let people know about the long backup all the way to the other side of the bridge.

Once on the other side, everyone has to take the Port Avenue exit and deal with the smaller streets.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - All traffic is still being diverted away from I-37 at the Tancahua overpass due to an overturned propane tanker. The truck crashed just after making the curve from Highway 181 to I-37. Fortunately there was no leak of the tanker's contents.

The driver was not injured in the crash. It will take some time to unload the propane, upright the truck, and clear the area.

For now, police recommend anyone who wants to head to Portland to take the Joe Fulton Corridor, which is on the other side of the Port of Corpus Christi.

If you are coming from downtown take Laredo to Crosstown Expressway, make the turn to I-37 north and exit the Joe Fulton Corridor.

All traffic coming from Portland to Corpus Christi is being diverted to the Joe Fulton Corridor or taking the Port Avenue exit if they are already on the Harbor Bridge.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - All traffic along I-37 and Highway 181 is being diverted due to a tanker truck that rolled over near the Tancahua overpass.

The tanker is carrying a full load of propane, but there is no leak. The truck is upright while the trailer is on its side.

Corpus Christi ISD was notified to have Solomon Coles High School shelter in place just in case.

In order to get between I-37 and Highway 181 all drivers should take the Joe Fulton Corridor or go through Sinton and Taft.

There is a small amount of traffic heading across the bridge to Portland coming from the on-ramps in downtown Corpus Christi. All traffic coming from Portland on the bridge must take the Port Avenue exit before I-37.

Make plans to avoid taking the Harbor Bridge from Portland for the rest of the day. Drivers should exit at the Joe Fulton Corridor. This could be a very lengthy process to offload propane cargo, upright trailer, and haul off.

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SINTON - The driver of a flatbed truck and a John Deere tractor were taken to the hospital this afternoon following a crash on Highway 181.

Police say the driver of the truck rear-ended the slow moving tractor with tilling attachments just about 2 miles northwest of Sinton.

The tractor was overturned in the crash. 20-year-old Joseph Floerke of Taft was injured in the crash. He was takent to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital.

There's no detail on the extent of the men's injuries.

Traffic is still moving in the area, albeit rather slowly.

 

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The area is between FM 351 and FM 673. The stretch of highway will remain closed for about 5 hours due to a digger truck that hit the 2.5 inch gas line.

Officials say the immediate area has been evacuated and power is out in the area.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - A woman is now in police custody after crashing her truck into a house along the Crosstown Expressway access road this afternoon.

As she was being led away in cuffs she told us, "I am stone cold sober."

Police on the scene would not comment on the incident.

Joe Cortinas says this is not the first time someone has hit his brother-in-law's house near Horne Road. He fears for what might have happened if his kids were home at the time.

Cortinas told us he heard tires screeching then felt the house move from the impact.

The older Ford truck ended up on its side and left a dent in the home's siding.

 

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• Northbound Shoreline between Buford Street and Coopers Alley
• Southbound Shoreline between Furman Avenue and Coopers Alley

On Saturday, May 18, 2013, the following streets will be reduced from two travel lanes to one lane starting at 4:00 am:

• Park Road 22 between Access Road 6 to JFK Causeway bridge
• Northbound and Southbound Park Road 22 at the JFK bridge
• Northbound SPID shoulder between Lakeside Street and JFK bridge
• Northbound SPID frontage Road from East Lakeside Drive to Fawn Drive
• Northbound Ocean Drive from Sand Dollar Boulevard to the Buford Street

In addition, the following streets will be closed to traffic starting at 4:00 am on Saturday:

• Waldron Road from SPID to N.A.S. Drive;
• Lakeside Drive and Claride Street from NAS Drive to Waldron Road will be closed to thru traffic only;
• Ocean Drive, between the NAS North Gate and Sand Dollar Boulevard.

Temporary traffic patterns will be implemented for the Beach to Bay Marathon Relay and motorists should be aware the actual scheduled start time of the Beach to Bay Marathon Relay is on Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:00 a.m.

Lane and road closures prior to the actual start of the event allow for the traffic control set-up that is required for the protection of the participants in the Beach to Bay Marathon Relay.

Motorists should expect major delays in this area and should seek alternate routes and avoid this area if possible. Motorists are advised to observe all advanced warning signs and barricading for their safety and that of pedestrians in the area.

For more information on the race - http://www.beachtobayrelay.com/

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CORPUS CHRISTI - A tanker truck for liquid nitrogen caused quite a mess on Interstate 37 near Navigation Boulevard this morning when it crashed and blocked the road.

The driver of the Air Liquide truck admitted to police he dozed off just a little before hitting the guardrail near an overpass.

The front axle of the truck snapped, leaving the truck blocking all of the southbound lanes. Fortunately, the truck did not overturn.

Southbound traffic was diverted off the interstate for a couple of hours as crews ensured the cargo was safe and worked to clean up the damage.

The driver had just offloaded the tank of liquid nitrogen before the crash, so vapors seen escaping the tanker were just venting before the truck was towed. 

The driver was not injured.

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CORPUS CHRISTI - This week's rains have caused at least one sinkhole in Corpus Christi. This morning, a man spotted a missing chink of road along the 200 block of Cortez near Agnes and Baldwin.

The hole is at least 3 feet deep and about as wide as a car tire. City crews are already on the scene evaluating the problem.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - If your daily commute includes Ocean Drive or Shoreline Boulevard keep in mind there'll be some road closures for the next 2 weeks because of Buc Days events.

South Shoreline Boulevard is closed from Coopers Alley to Furman Avenue through May 7th. Kinney and Park are closed in both directions at Shoreline.
There will definitely be a lot of traffic congestion in the downtown area through the weekend.

Just a few blocks over Chaparral Street and Lawrence are closed for construction due to the ongoing improvement project. Most traffic will be focused on Water Street due to all of the changes.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - A woman was taken to the hospital this morning after crashing her Dodge Magnum into a parking lot sign on Saratoga Boulevard.

Police say the driver was headed westbound on Saratoga near Everhart when a car veered into her lane.

She swerved to avoid it a collision, but went over the median to hit a tree and bush before crashing into the sign for the Regal Shopping Center.

The 28-year-old driver was taken to Christus Spohn South with minor injuries.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - A crew with American Electric Power (AEP) continues work on a broken utility police on Nile Road near Pharaoh.

We're told the pole was snapped in a traffic accident on Sunday. The road is closed to traffic because the utility lines being worked on cross over Nile.

Only 5 customers are affected by the temporary outage. Repairs should be finished by the end of the day.

 

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Officials will meet with the public tonight from 5-7 p.m. at City Hall, 701 W. Avenue A, Port Aransas, Texas.

The proposal impacts Highway 361 from Avenue G to just south of Beach Access Road 1. That's right along the main drag before you get into the heart of Port Aransas while heading into town from Corpus Christi. Essentially, between the two Stripes stores on the right side of the road.

According to TxDOT, the following improvements are under consideration:

• an additional travel lane added in each direction
• approximately 1.3 mile of center left turn lane (from Avenue G to just south of Royal Palm Dr.)
• approximately 1.5 mile of raised boulevard median with left turn bays at city streets (from just south of Royal Palm Dr. to Beach Access Rd. 1)
• addition of a 5 ft. sidewalk on the west side of SH 361
• addition of a 10 ft. hike/bike path on the east side of SH 361
• installation of a curb and gutter system to improve roadway drainage

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - TxDOT officials say commuters should expect two more days of lane closures on the Harbor Bridge tomorrow afternoon.

A routine inspection of the bridge was scheduled to end today, but the backup from an early morning crash on Highway 181 and light rain made for unsafe conditions for inspectors.

On Thursday, one southbound lane (heading to Corpus Christi) will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the inspection. Then on Friday a TxDOT crew will close down the northbound (heading to Portland) lanes of the bridge for some street light work.

Plan ahead and leave early for your destination if you plan on heading across the Harbor Bridge. This is National Work Zone Awareness Week after all.

According to TxDOT, 85 percent of the people killed in construction zone crashes are motorists, not construction workers.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - Northbound Highway 77 near Refugio is still closed right now as crews work to repair a bridge after a big rig caused some damage.

An 18-wheeler carrying an escalator going northbound hit a bridge over the road way and damaged it last night. The truck driver was not injured.

It could take until late Wednesday to repairs structural beams on the railroad overpass.

For the time being, that stretch of road is closed along with all Union Pacific Railroad traffic. All road traffic is being detoured to Highway 183 towards Goliad.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI -- If you have to cross the Harbor Bridge to get to work you may want to get started a little early for through next week.

TxDOT is conducting a scheduled inspection of the structure Monday-Friday 8 a.m to 4 p.m.

There's a mile long backup of traffic headed to Corpus Christi today as traffic is down to one lane.

Experts are looking for any joints or connectors that might need maintenance.

 

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PORTLAND, Texas - Police are still trying to figure out what led to a car crash on the Nueces Bay Causeway late last night. The driver of a Chrysler 300 slammed into the back of a Chevy Tahoe just after 11pm.

Police say the driver of the car was speeding excessively. The wreckage closed down one side of the causeway due to debris spread across the entire road.

Paramedics rushed 2 people to the hospital, but their injuries were not serious. Police have not said if alcohol or drugs may have played a role in the crash.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - A woman making an unsafe lane change on SPID near Kostoryz is blamed for a crash that toppled one of the concrete dividers on the highway.

Police say the woman hit the side of an F-250, causing both vehicles to veer to the left shoulder and hit the barrier.

Traffic came to a complete standstill on the westbound side of the highway as a result. No one was injured.

 

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CORPUS CHRISTI - Construction on the new Sam's Club at Everhart and S. Padre Island Drive will force the closure of one northbound lane of Everhart Road for this week and the next.

The closures will only take place during the day. Keep that in mind as you head towards the area and plan for extra travel time through the area.

 

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