Only Underwater Traffic Tunnel in Texas Closes for Repairs Two Years After Accident

The big state of Texas has all kinds of stuff when it comes to infrastructure but there’s one thing you won’t find in abundance, and that’s underwater traffic tunnels. There’s only one in the entire state, the Washburn Tunnel east of downtown Houston.

The toll-free tunnel goes under the Houston Ship Channel, connecting the communities of Galena Park and Pasadena (the refinery town made famous in the 1980 movie “Urban Cowboy”.) Officials say during the week it carries up to 27,000 vehicles a day.

Built in 1950 at a cost of $7 million, the Washburn Tunnel is just under 3800 feet long, taking drivers 68 feet below the ship channel. Atop the tunnel’s entrance there’s a large midcentury structure containing high-speed blower fans that provide ventilation. Because of its unique trench design, the Washburn Tunnel was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Also in 2008, all large vehicles were banned from the tunnel including 18-wheelers. But in September 2010, that didn’t stop a big rig driver from trying to enter. Gail Miller is with Harris County Precinct 2, the governmental entity that operates the tunnel, and she tells what happened next.

“We had an 18-wheeler, about 3:30 in the morning, drive by the guard shack. The guard was out, the flags were out, he drove right around then and headed into the tunnel. Well, he’s too big to get into the tunnel, and he hit the north portal wall, damaging the brick and the metal behind it.”

Once inside the tunnel, Miller says the truck collapsed and it took about seven hours to remove the wreckage. The driver wound up going to jail. Now two years later, crews are at work repairing the damage.

Miller says at the time of the accident, the damage wasn’t considered severe enough to close the tunnel to traffic. As for why it’s taken so long to do the repairs, Miller says they had to settle insurance claims, and because of the tunnel’s historic status, they had to find the proper materials to make the repairs to the tunnel’s entrance.

“Any changes to a historic building have to be run by the Texas Historical Commission, and they have to be matched in terms of brickwork.”

The tunnel will be closed to traffic on weekends through April 2 to make those repairs. So what does that mean for drivers? Traffic will be funneled onto several other ship channel crossings, including the East I-610 Loop, the Sam Houston Parkway toll bridge and the State Highway 146 Fred Hartman Bridge (which replaced another tunnel, the Baytown Tunnel, in 1995). Drivers also have the option of using the Lynchburg Ferry, which will have expanded hours during the Washburn Tunnel’s closure.

__________
source: Transportation Nation (Delaughter, 3/20)



The Cole Legal Group has a proven track record of obtaining substantial insurance settlements and jury awards for people hurt in all types of motor vehicle accidents in Texas.

Let our experience, commitment and fight work to get you the money you deserve to rebuild your life. Our commitment to you: We will not be out worked!

Contact us today for a free consultation.

Texas man crushed by big-rig makes miraculous recovery

DALLAS -- They may be small, and gingerly taken, but Greg Meece isn't taking baby steps as he walks out of UT Southwestern's Zale Lipshy hospital.

For everyone involved in his recovery, every step forward is a giant leap.

"When I was brought in here two weeks ago," says Meece, "I was an incomplete quadraplegic. And I'm going to be walking out of the hospital today."

Two weeks ago, Meece was driving on the Dallas North Tollway when an 18-wheeler lost control. The truck slammed into the concrete divider -- and landed on-top of Meece's car.

Other drivers rushed to help. But Meece was so badly crushed, doctors didn't know if he would ever walk again.

A surgery, fusing one of his own ribs to his neck, stabilized his spine.

"Never. I never doubted," says Donna Meece of her husband's recovery.

Still, she is astonished her husband rehabbed to quickly.

"I was thinking, 'We'll be here for months,'" she says, "Two weeks? I'm shocked at 2 weeks, I really am. But every day I knew he was getting better and better.

"It's a miracle," says Greg, "It's amazing. It's almost beyond words."

Greg Meece was in a rental car the day of the accident.

He says he is very frugal -- and always pays for a small, compact car. That day, he says he splurged an extra four dollars for a mid-sized car. As he walked out of the hospital, upright and able-bodied, he says it was the best four bucks he ever spent.

___________
source: WFAA (St. James, 3/9)



The Cole Legal Group has a proven track record of obtaining substantial insurance settlements and jury awards for people hurt in all types of motor vehicle accidents in Texas.


Let our experience, commitment and fight work to get you the money you deserve to rebuild your life. Our commitment to you: We will not be out worked!


Contact us today for a free consultation.

AGs decide not to object to Honda hybrid class-action settlement.

The AP (3/1, Spagat) reported, "Attorneys general in California and four other states said Wednesday that they won't oppose a class-action settlement between Honda Motor Co. and owners of its hybrid cars over inflated claims of fuel efficiency. The five states had asked a judge for more time to consider after Honda owner Heather Peters won $9,867 in a California small claims court this month – much more than the couple hundred dollars cash that the settlement offers. The judge reluctantly granted a two-week extension for them to declare objections." Just hours before that extended deadline, attorneys general for California, Iowa, Massachusetts, Texas and Washington announced they would not oppose the proposed class-action settlement.

        The Chicago Tribune (3/1, Hirsch) noted the issue "rose to prominence this month when a Los Angeles County court commissioner ruled that American Honda Motor Co. negligently misled Civic owner Heather Peters when it said the hybrid could achieve as much as 50 miles per gallon." Opting out of the class settlement, Peters was awarded almost the $10,000 small claims maximum, well above the several hundred dollars provided under the settlement. Honda says it's gearing up to appeal the Los Angeles ruling, which it called "a radical and unprecedented departure from California and federal law."

-- source AAJ News Brief

If you or a Loved one has been injured by the negligence of another, contact the Texas Injury Lawyers - The Cole Legal Group.   We specialize in Texas 18 Wheeler Injury Accidents, Texas Motorcycle Injury Accidents, Texas Swimming Pool Injury Accidents - Call Us Today 800-245-5539.

Nissan recalling 79,000 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles to fix potential gasoline leaks

Nissan says it is recalling more than 79,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix possible gasoline leaks.

The automaker is recalling certain Nissan Juke small crossover SUVs, Infiniti QX large SUVs and Infiniti M sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website that fuel pressure sensors on the vehicles may not be tight enough and gasoline could leak and cause a fire. Nissan says no fires have been reported.

Dealers will tighten the sensors or replace gaskets free of charge to take care of the problem.

The vehicles were made between Oct. 5, 2009 and Dec. 27, 2011.

The recall is scheduled to start on March 19. Owners with questions may call Nissan at 615-725-1000.

_____________
source: Washington Post (AP, 2/27)

Federal safety regulators fine BMW $3 million for untimely reporting of safety defects

WASHINGTON — German automaker BMW has agreed to pay $3 million for delays in reporting safety defects and recalls to the federal regulators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday.

An examination of 16 recalls issued by BMW of North America LLC in 2010 found a pattern in which the automaker failed to meet federal requirements that known defects be reported within five days, the safety agency said in a statement.

As part of the settlement, BMW and its parent company, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, agreed to make internal changes to its recall process, NHTSA said

“It’s critical to the safety of the driving public that defects and recalls are reported in short order,” NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said. “NHTSA expects all manufacturers to address automotive safety issues quickly and in a forthright manner.”

Despite the safety agency’s claim that some recall filings were late, “in every case where a defect was identified by the company a voluntary recall had been conducted,” BMW said in a statement.

A summary report of NHTSA’s investigation said the agency noticed in late 2010 a “troubling trend” in the automaker’s recall filings over the course of the previous year — the company’s initial recall filings were missing important information. Each time the problem was brought BMW’s attention, the automaker would promise to provide the information but then would take “an inordinate amount of time to do so,” the summary said.

For example, in only 6 out of 16 recall reports in 2010 was BMW able to say how many vehicles were affected and how many were expected to be recalled, the summary said. In only five of the reports did the automaker supply the required chronology of events, and all but one of the five were missing dates or other important information, the summary said.

NHTSA investigators also complained it was taking BMW on average over 30 dates to supply “fundamental” information missing from recall updates.

The recalls involved motorcycles, as well as sport utility vehicles.

______________
source: Washington Post (AP, 2/10)

So what happens the next time there’s a wreck on Highway 183?

 

So, what do we do if it happens again?

With all the oilfield traffic in Gonzales County, it should come as no surprise that driver mishaps should occur on a frequent basis, if not a daily basis.

When motorists were held in gridlock while traveling south of Gonzales last week on U.S. Highway 183, they soon discovered they would have to find a new way to get where they needed to go. Without a doubt, this was a great inconvenience to all of them.

Traffic was backed up more than 15 miles last Friday afternoon after an 18-wheeler ran off the road near Hochheim.

According to a report from DPS officer Matthew Southall, at 1:07 p.m., a 2007 Freightliner driven by Wallace Witham, 51, of China Grove, was headed south on 183 and tried to make a left turn onto state Highway 111 when it overturned onto the passenger side, sliding off the roadway and onto the median.

The accident caused the tanks the trucker was carrying to spill oil across the road, and police subsequently blocked off 183 for the next several hours. The resulting bottleneck extended as far north as Circle G Truck Stop at state Highway 97, just a mile south of Gonzales.

Perturbed drivers were forced to either wait in the makeshift parking lot, or turn around and seek an alternate route to their destinations until the mess was finally cleaned up, which DPS reported was around 4:30 p.m.

The Texas Department of Transportation, which is shepherding a major overhaul of Highway 183 from south of Gonzales to the DeWitt County line, said it has no contingency plan in the event of another accident that may block the highway.

So, what do we do if it happens again?

Be sure you have a good book to read in your car – you’ll be stranded there for quite a while.

__________
source: The Gonzales Inquirer (Ford, 1/27)


The Cole Legal Group has a proven track record of obtaining substantial insurance settlements and jury awards for people hurt in all types of motor vehicle accidents in Texas.

Let our experience, commitment and fight work to get you the money you deserve to rebuild your life. Our commitment to you: We will not be out worked!

Contact us today for a free consultation.


.

Many Texas highways will soon get 75-mph speed limit

Good news for Texas leadfoots:

The speed limit will soon rise from 70 to 75 mph on nearly 1,500 miles of highway. The new limit was approved Thursday by the Texas Transportation Commission after studies on the roads determined that the change would be safe.

For Fort Worth-area motorists, the changes affect only out-of-town trips. For example, on a trip to Austin, drivers can save a few minutes by driving 75 mph on Interstate 35 south of Hillsboro. Same goes for those traveling to Abilene. They can go 75 mph on I-20 west of Weatherford.

But before you put the pedal to the metal, wait until you actually see the new speed limit signs, which will be posted in the coming days or weeks.

"The new speed limit is not official until the signs go up," warned Carol Rawson, Texas Department of Transportation traffic operations director.

Where will the new speed limits be?

I-10: 289 miles, El Paso, Gillespie, Kerr, Kendall, Bexar, Guadalupe, Caldwell, Gonzales, Fayette, Colorado, Austin, Jefferson and Orange counties.

I-20: 423 miles, Crane, Ector, Midland, Martin, Howard, Mitchell, Nolan, Taylor, Callahan, Eastland, Erath, Palo Pinto, Van Zandt, Smith, Gregg and Harrison counties.

I-27: 109 miles, Lubbock, Hale, Swisher and Randall counties.

I-30: 139 miles, Hunt, Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, Morris and Bowie counties.

I-35: 106 miles, Webb, Medina, Atascosa, Bexar, Hill and Cooke counties.

I-37: 130 miles, Nueces, San Patricio, Live Oak, Atascosa and Bexar counties.

I-40: 166 miles, Deaf Smith, Oldham, Potter, Carson, Gray, Donley and Wheeler counties.

I-44: 11 miles, Wichita County.

I-45: 143 miles, Walker, Madison, Leon, Freestone and Navarro counties.

Four other highways in Central Texas got the new speed limit late last year, all in the Austin area -- I-35 from Georgetown to Salado, and Texas 130, Texas 45 and U.S. 281 -- and a number of roads have had it for several years. Once the signs are up, Texas will have 3,063 miles of highway with a 75-mph limit.

And, of course, Texas is famous (safety advocates might say infamous) for its 80-mph limit on 521 miles of I-10 and I-20 in far West Texas.

That's a grand total of 3,584 miles where drivers can go 75 mph or faster.

While the higher threshold may be fun for speed freaks, state officials caution that being allowed to go fast doesn't necessarily mean you should.

But for those who feel comfortable driving 75 mph, tests conducted by state engineers have concluded that the roads are designed for that speed and that under current conditions the overwhelming majority of traffic is already going that fast -- illegally, for now.

"People should know we didn't make these decisions in a vacuum," said Texas Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows of Fort Worth.

For the complete run-down, view here.

_____________
source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (Dickson, 1/26)