-
After several barges collided with the bridge on September 20, Interstate 10 on the San Jacinto River east of Houston was closed.
After several barges collided with the bridge on September 20, Interstate 10 on the San Jacinto River east of Houston was closed.
Photo: Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Photographer
After several barges collided with the bridge on September 20, Interstate 10 on the San Jacinto River east of Houston was closed.
After several barges collided with the bridge on September 20, Interstate 10 on the San Jacinto River east of Houston was closed.
Photo: Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Photographer
Morning commuters are happy.
On Tuesday, the Texas Department of Transportation opened part of Interstate 10 on the San Jacinto River after the runaway barge damaged the support pillar under the bridge last week.
The agency announced Tuesday that the two east lanes were opened and the crew is working to open the two west lanes as soon as possible.
TxDOT said in a tweet, "It is still a goal to open two lanes in each direction before AM rushes."
Traffic problem: Traffic jam around I-10 bridge closed by run London barge
According to an early report of the chronology, the highway closed from midnight Friday, and bystanders reported that the barge had loosened in a mooring line about 1/4 mile north of I-10.
From the remnants of the tropical storm Imelda, rivers poured into the river, releasing nine barges. Six barges went down the east and west I-10 bridges. Each direction of the highway is a separate span.
Two barges, owned by Canal Barge Co. and maintained at the San Jacinto River Fleet, were anchored to the bridge columns. The third barge is available on the Superfund site. Authorities said it would only be removed if the weight of the lubricant was removed by reducing its weight.
Dug Begley contributed to this report.
Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on breaking news Chron.com and subscriber site houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com