Were roads treated for ice before Fort Worth I-35W crash? Lawmakers want answers.

Eleanor Dearman

After Thursday’s deadly crash on Interstate 35W, a Fort Worth lawmaker is demanding more information about whether the roads were properly de-iced leading up to Fort Worth’s freezing weather.

Six people were killed and dozens more injured in the crash near downtown Fort Worth that led to a pile up of about 100 vehicles. The roads on the southbound lanes of the highway were icy following an overnight freeze.

State Rep. Ramon Romero, a Fort Worth Democrat whose district includes the corridor where the wreck occurred, said first responders told him there didn’t appear to be any evidence of techniques like sanding to reduce ice on the road.

The reports prompted Romero to inquire with the Texas Department of Transportation about what procedures are in place to ensure roads are de-iced.

Generally, the transportation department uses a combination of materials to de-ice roads. The agency’s work crews can apply a salty, liquid brine to roads and bridges, or they can apply salt pellets or sand.

The brine can be used as a preventative measure, or it can be applied on top of ice that has already formed. The salt and sand also can be used as a preventive measure, but is more typically seen being used on roads that are already at least partially covered in snow or ice, to give motorists more traction for their tires.

The crash happened in TEXPress lanes that require a toll for drivers and are overseen by North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners.

“We just have to figure out what they did because the evidence shows that the people that were on that roadway had no ability to stop,” Romero said.

A spokesperson for North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners said the company had taken steps to keep ice off the roads.

“NTE & NTE35W maintenance crews started pre-treating our corridors on Tuesday and have been spot treating since then,” spokeperson Robert Hinkle said. “Our crews are now assisting emergency responders to manage the accident scene on 35W, and will continue treating the highways through the weekend and into next week.”

Hinkle, in a Thursday afternoon statement, added: “We will continue treating the highways through the weekend and into next week, as long as the storm is active. Our crews treat the entire corridor, managed lanes, general purpose lanes, frontage roads and ramps, and operate under the same procedure as the Texas Department of Transportation. Additionally, our message boards throughout the corridors have been alerting drivers of the adverse weather conditions and encouraging them to drive with caution.”

But Romero wrote on Twitter that the Fort Worth Fire Department “had to bring their own salt & sand just to access the scene.” The tweet was one of several Thursday raising questions roadway safety.

“Who was responsible for safety on this roadway?” Romero said, calling for an investigation into the crash. “Who was responsible for deicing this portion of our highway? Who dropped the ball and why? Does TxDOT oversee safety measures on tollways or do we just trust these private companies to handle it?”

Mike Drivdahl, a spokesperson for the fire department, said he didn’t know whether the roads had been treated to prevent ice. Firefighters did bring material to assist them with moving safely around the scene, he said.

In the tweets, Romero also expressed concern about the “tollway’s bottleneck design and lack of commonsense safety measures such as a shoulder.”

State Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Fort Worth, on Twitter said she too had been made aware of reports that the “managed lanes where this (Thursday) morning’s deadly accident occurred may not have been properly treated by the operator.”

“Hours after today’s fatal accident, our office received numerous constituent and online reports stating the operator in charge of managing the lane where the pileup occurred may not have properly treated the roadway,” Powell said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring all reports received from Senate District 10 constituents and will remain in contact with transportation officials to ensure correct treatment procedures were followed. All North Texans must take caution in the coming days as weather conditions are not expected to change and possibly worsen as we approach next week.”

Romero said TxDOT is seeking to have the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent federal agency that conducts accident investigations, look into the wreck. A TxDOT spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesperson for NTSB said he did not have any information about an investigation, but that updates would be shared on social media.

Romero said he also expects the wreck to be a discussion point in committee hearings in the House and Senate. Romero would like the state to look into why its entering into public private partnerships like the one between the state and the TEXPress lanes in Fort Worth.

Romero questioned whether private companies can be trusted to treat roads for ice.

“This inclement weather was foreseeable and lives were lost because a private company didn’t uphold its end of the deal,” Romero said on Twitter.

Staff Writer Gordon Dixon contributed to this report.

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