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Accident stalls traffic south of CS

Heavy morning traffic on Texas 6 was diverted for nearly two hours Wednesday as crews cleaned up a messy wreck south of College Station.

No one was injured in the collision between a passenger van and an 18-wheeler, but people at the scene said traffic was backed up for at least a mile in each direction.

The wreck happened in heavy rain around 8 a.m. near the intersection with F.M. 159 when the southbound passenger van crossed the center line and collided with the 18-wheeler, according to Department of Public Safety Trooper Tommy Lyons.

The 18-wheeler, which had just dropped off its load at a construction site, jackknifed. Part of the tractor-trailer landed in a ditch, and the rest blocked traffic on the highway, troopers said. The van suffered significant damage and remained on the road.

Lyons said the wreck punctured the 18-wheeler's gas tank, which spilled an unknown amount of fuel onto the road. A hazardous materials team from College Station assisted with the cleanup.

All lanes in both directions of traffic were shut down because of the wreck. Troopers opened the shoulder on one side of the road and diverted traffic to F.M. 159 on the other side.

The wreck happened in the construction area south of College Station where dozens of accidents have occurred in the past few years. After a 2006 crash killed four people, local government officials lowered the speed limit on that stretch of road from 70 to 55 mph.

Families of the people killed in that accident have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the three construction companies that work on the site. Jury deliberations for the trial, which is being held in a Robertson County court, are set to begin Thursday.

Construction in the area began in 2006 and is expected to be completed by spring of 2010, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The road will have a median when construction is complete.

"One of the main reasons we are doing it is to improve safety," said TxDOT spokesman Bob Colwell.

• Matthew Watkins' e-mail address is matthew.watkins@theeagle.com.