CAMERON COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The road where last Monday’s fatal 18-wheeler accident occurred will remain closed until late May.
State Highway 550 will remain closed between Baker Lane and Interstate Highway 69E until officials ensure it is safe to drive on.
The Cameron County Regional Mobile Authority is working with engineers and contractors to inspect the roadway. Soil samples were taken from the crash site to prepare a layout and properly design the roadway.
“We have a professional engineer on board with an engineering layout. We’re going to ensure that we get a proper contractor that is certified to do the repair work,” Pete Sepulveda Jr., Executive Director of Cameron County Regional Mobile Authority said.
Once there is a contractor on board, it will take another 10 to 15 days for the contractor to complete the emergency maintenance repairs and for the CCRMA to verify that the repairs are done to specifications.
“We’re not going to open the bridge until we feel it’s safe until we have an engineering recommendation that the bridge is safe to open for the public,” Sepulveda added.
The CCRMA expects the highway to be closed until the third week of May.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said a Mexican truck driver was going to fast through the toll road on Monday, April 17, when he lost control and rolled over his tractor-trailer rig.
He was killed in the fiery accident.
