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Icy conditions causing traffic problems, flight cancelations

Austin-Travis County EMS is reporting dozens of crashes, including multiple rollovers.

AUSTIN, Texas — Icy conditions that worsened overnight into Thursday morning are causing headaches for commuters, travelers and first responders.

At 11 a.m., Round Rock police announced the following road closures: 

  • The on-ramps for SH 45 in Round Rock 
  • The flyover from southbound Interstate 35 to westbound SH 45.

As of just before 9 a.m., Austin-Travis County EMS said medics have responded to more than 40 traffic collisions since midnight, 13 of which have been rollover collisions.

As of 7 a.m., the Austin Fire Department said it was responding to 14 working traffic accidents, including a 12-car pileup on the 620 bypass near Briar Hollow. The AFD said most of the crashes have had no injuries, including the 12-car pileup.

Just before 8 a.m., the Austin Police Department confirmed to KVUE that at least 30 calls for crashes were holding, meaning there were not enough officers to get to the scene because they were on other calls. At 9:20 a.m., APD said every patrol officer was responding to calls and the department was operating "at capacity."

Just before 6:30 a.m., Round Rock police said all ramps to the State Highway 45 toll in Round Rock were closed due to the winter weather conditions. RRPD also said officers were responding to multiple wrecks.

At 6:40 a.m., the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) said that the express lane and left general-purpose lane were blocked at southbound MoPac Expressway and RM 2222 due to a crash. At 7:05 a.m., CTRMA said the roadway was cleared.

Just before 7 a.m., the CTRMA said a crash on the southbound US 183 toll at Fifth and Seventh streets had blocked the left lane and right shoulder. The agency gave the all-clear just before 7:40 a.m.

Shortly after 7 a.m., CTRMA said that the center and right lanes remained blocked on southbound MoPac past Fifth Street due to a crash. At 7:30 a.m., CTRMA said the right shoulder remained blocked in that crash.

A crash on southbound MoPac before Duval Street had all general purpose lanes blocked as of 7:11 a.m. A crash on northbound MoPac past Duval had the express lane blocked as of 7:13 a.m. The latter was clear as by 8:17 a.m.

Just before 7:30 a.m., CTRMA said a crash on the southbound US 183A toll at Avery Ranch Road had the center and right lanes blocked. The right shoulder was still blocked as of 8 a.m. and the road was clear by 8:19 a.m.

At 7:40 a.m., CTRMA said a disabled vehicle had the left shoulder blocked at the southbound 183 toll at Seventh Street. An abandoned trailer on northbound MoPac at Northwood had the right gore area blocked as of 7:50 a.m.

Just before 8 a.m., a crash on State Highway 71 eastbound to the US 183 toll had that ramp blocked. CTRMA gave the all-clear at 8:16 a.m.

At 9:18 a.m., Leander police reported a single-vehicle collision in the southbound lanes of the 18000 block of Ronald Reagan. Traffic was down to one lane.

At 12:14 p.m., TxDOT said northbound lanes of SH 130 reopened north of U.S. 79. 

For the most current traffic updates, follow the CTRMA on Twitter.

A representative with ATCEMS joined KVUE Daybreak at around 6:45 a.m. to provide an update on road conditions:

From midnight on Feb. 23 through 11 a.m. Feb. 25, the AFD reported the following:

  • Traffic accidents/collisions: 146
  • Traffic injuries: 82
  • Structure fires: 11
  • Wires arcing/wires down: 4
  • Broken water pipes: 3

In addition to the issues on local roads, KVUE confirmed that more than 70 flights have been canceled out of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as of 8 a.m. The airport tweeted around 6:40 a.m. that if your flight is confirmed for takeoff by your airline, you should travel with caution and give yourself plenty of time to make it safely to the terminal.

The winter weather has also caused many local school districts to delay the start of classes. Some have canceled classes altogether.

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Britny Eubank on social media: Twitter

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