DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - All westbound lanes of Interstate-30 in east Dallas were shut down on Sunday afternoon when an 18-wheeler driver crashed into a support column underneath the Dolphin Road bridge. The 18-wheeler driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash happened at about 4:45 p.m. and is still expected to keep portions of the freeway closed for several hours.

The Dolphin Road bridge is also closed — and could be for quite some time — as extensive damage was done to the support column.

The driver has not been identified. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck.

Cleaning up the crash site has proven to be a complicated affair. Heavy equipment was first called upon to hoist up the Dolphin Road bridge, so that crews could pull the 18-wheeler’s cab out from underneath. A hazmat team was also needed to handle a fuel leak from the truck’s saddle tanks. And the truck’s load — believed to be computer equipment — was partially spilled onto the highway. This still needs to be cleaned up before officials can even attempt to tow the 18-wheeler away from the scene.

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Mark Pettit with the Texas Department of Transportation said Monday morning, “They’ll keep the far right lane blocked through the duration of the day until our inspectors can get back out here, take a closer look at the bridge, determine if there’s any additional damage. Then, they’ll open up the three far left lanes for the rest of the day. The far right lane will stay closed until we can make repairs. Dolphin will stay closed until that column can be repaired.”

The westbound HOV lane, the far left main lane and the frontage road were opened to traffic early Monday morning, but major delays are expected to remain throughout the day. Anyone who needs to travel in this area is strongly advised to seek an alternate route. Visit our Traffic section for the latest updates.

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