All traffic on the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, a unique bridge that connects South Padre Island to the rest of the Rio Grande Valley, was stopped late Wednesday afternoon after a crash involving a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department vehicle.
South Padre Island City Manager Randy Smith confirmed to MySA that the two-vehicle collision involved a state vehicle driven by a Texas game ranger, who was injured and transported to a local hospital. Another person was injured in the crash and taken to hospital, but their conditions are unknown. Smith and Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez confirmed to MySA that South Padre Island police, the South Padre Island Fire Department, first responders from the island and Port Isabel and the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the scene.
Smith said the accident temporarily closed both directions of the bridge, partly to allow first responders access to the scene, but also because “debris passed over the barricades … the separation point that separates traffic in both directions.”
The accident happened around 4 p.m. midweek in Texas, the busiest week of the spring break season that typically draws tens of thousands of college students, families and other visitors to Texas’ most popular beaches. The four-lane causeway is the only bridge connecting South Padre Island to the mainland, which means it often becomes crowded during peak tourist seasons like spring break.
Smith and Lopez said traffic on the bridge has been mild so far this year, a far cry from the hours-long jams that are common during spring break.
Smith said crews remained on scene waiting for both vehicles to be removed while DPS investigated the crash.
This article was originally published on Major accident closes only bridge to one of Texas’ most popular beaches.
