Garland hazmat spill stirs latest safety concerns about I-635/LBJ construction project

GARLAND, Texas - Hazmat crews had to be called out in Garland to clean up thousands of gallons of methanol Thursday morning.

The spill happened in the westbound lanes of LBJ Freeway at McCree Road after a big rig flipped. 

The Garland Fire Department says no one was injured in the crash, and it's unclear why the driver of the big rig lost control.

People in the area say since the massive construction project began, they've been seeing a lot of crashes there.    

Sonny Kay, sales director at Lone Star Cadillac, says they watched their surveillance camera video of what happened.

"We heard a thud, huge noise," he recalled. "We ran outside and saw the commotion. The truck flipped."

Kay says the construction barriers have made outside lanes trickier to navigate.

James Dugger, a spokesman with the Garland Fire Department, says despite the spill of the highly flammable chemical, there was no need for any evacuations.

"Approximately 5,000 gallons of methanol spilled out. Not sure how much leaked out or how much remained in. That’s still under investigation," he said. "At this time, we don't see any immediate risks to the public."

State environmental regulators were notified as well. 

A spokeswoman said in a statement, "The responsible party has a contractor onsite to clean up the released methanol and diesel. TCEQ staff are also onsite conducting air and water monitoring."

"For big trucks like that, we see a lot of accidents happen over here in this exit coming down," Kay said.

Kay's dealership is front row to the massive $1.7 billion LBJ East project to widen the highway and frontage roads. He says the exit just past his dealership is creating other traffic headaches.

"You will see people exit," he said. "They try to make it in here. You see them make a U-turn and go the wrong way to make it in here."

A TxDOT spokesman said, "The exit cannot be widened at this time. This is a very active construction zone, and TxDOT encourages motorists to drive to the conditions and avoid distractions while driving." 

All the construction there is not set to be complete until the end of 2025.