North Dallas Stuck In Traffic for 11 Hours

It started about 04:30 this morning when a tanker truck carrying highly flammable liquids started the arch-curve on the 4th-tier of Dallas High Five Interchange, one of the busiest in the nation. It was then, that the unthinkable happened. The tanker flipped over on its side up against the barrier wall.

With highly flammable liquids leaking out in humid weather that had not dipped below 80-degrees overnight, it didn't take long for police and fire department to do a unthinkable for a second time this morning and  shut down the Dallas High 5 in all directions. Haz-mat crews sprayed foam on the leaking material and an aerial ladder from the department was dispatched to get a stream of cooling water onto the tanker to keep the temperature down and hopefully from exploding. The aerial ladder could reach over the barrier wall of the 4-th tier ramp with not much room to spare, but firemen were able to direct the flow of water from their perch at the top of the ladder onto the tanker.

With the hour of the day prime for morning commuting to be underway, it didn't take long for the back-up of traffic to begin filling all lanes in all four directions. The back-up quickly stretched for not 2 or 3-miles, but  5, then 6, then 7 and nearing 8 going west bound out of Garland and Mesquite into Dallas' major distribution warehouses, package delivery services and DFW and related aviation workers heading into work, not to mention the offices and businesses that are staffed by so many in the Metroplex.

As the morning moved onward with sunrise, rising temperatures and cars idling for hours, not minutes, people stuck and pinned-in with miles of traffic if not in front of them, then certainly, it was miles and miles behind them. Some humor came out of the moment when a food truck stuck in traffic like everyone else, got out and opened up shop right in the center of the High Five at I-635 LBJ and US-75.

When I finished at the pharmacy with some issues with meds, the car just kind of on its own headed down Spring Valley toward 75. A Richardson policeman was picking up cones that he had placed on both sides of his car where he had been blocking the entrance to the service road going toward the High Five. With that almost like a green light, I headed to ground zero. Parking in my favorite spot at the high five, I had a good view of the wrecker with the tanker in tow and the Ha

Wrecker with tanker in tow

Haz-mat crew

The accident was on the 4th tier. The green colums support tier 5 above. There are level 3 and 2 below with level 1 being grade. There are also Express Lanes and HOVs up there, too!

z-mat crews there to begin even more clean up. Tonight at 10:30, 18-hours later, the crews are still cleaning up where the material had leaked down over three more tiers of roadway.

The design of the High Five was not at fault. Nor was the problems from a shut-down. It's one of those things with many, many variables that had to come together for another day like this one in Dallas Traffic.Tonight, the High Five is doing what it was designed to d0, move traffic.

A New Sign's First Ice Storm

The sign was being tested this afternoon. While out getting the gas tank filled before the ice storm, it was working but the ramps were marked closed. It's due to open almost any day now. While getting a shot of the sign, getting a shot of the electronic gear that will be focused on cars as they enter and exit was a give me.

It was 50 degrees colder today than yesterday and the wind was a major factor with the chill index. While making my return home from the gas station, Jim Cantore, of The Weather Channel was setting up for a live shot. I should have pulled in and got a shot of him but the wind would have been in my face and the decision to keep on going was made. Sorry bout that for you fans of Cantore. He's less than two miles from me at the present. I'm pretty sure he didn't mind that I didn't stop, though.

Right now as I write this, I have my toes and fingers crossed that there will be no power loss during this ice storm. If Dallas makes it through the night without any major power outages, hopefully, tomorrow morning, although cold, some shots of the ice, maybe!

Check out the new sign. It's going to be something new to get used to in the very near future that is different than the old HOV lanes that were free. These lanes will change price depending on the traffic flow, I'm told.

The prices are displayed as they change.

Look at all the cameras ! But look closely, they aren't all cameras. There are scanners and readers mixed in there. Next, look at the  pully system of cables  attached to the bank of cameras, scanners and readers. This is actually, pretty scary when it comes to privacy concerns.

This is the back side of the previous image. This one has got you as you drive with your back to it.  Spooky!! You can see a good example of the cable system, however.

Contrast In Seasons

Mercer Crossing Hay Field

Hay Bale at the edge of the road.

Native Texas Wildflowers surround bale of hay in field.

The annual hay crop at Mercer Crossing has long been understood as being one of the best in the area for photographers. In fact, several images are included in my portfolio. A couple of weeks ago, in passing, some of the bales were still in the fields and native Texas wildflowers were springing up around them. It occurred to me: what a contrast.

The fields are posted so any shots have to come from the streets or from the train tracks. Since the train tracks are the BNSF, they are posted as well. That clearly leaves two streets to shoot from. To make a long story short, a Farmers Branch Police cruiser ran me off because the owner of the property did not want anyone "trespassing on his property". Yielding to the judgment of the officer, I put away my cameras and equipment and left. So any photographers that shoot at Mercer Crossing should be aware and stay clear. There seems to be a move to kick us out like they did the remote control airplanes that once flew over the fields but landed and took off on the street.

Maybe that is one of the reasons the construction project slated for one of the plots of land fell through;to much opposition at a zone hearing,maybe?

Here are a few of the shots before being run away
This is my last trip here. As pretty as it is, it was the essence of nature in an urban setting to be captured in photos until today.