Dallas highways turn into illegal parking lots for New Year’s fireworks
Dallas highways turn into illegal parking lot for NYE
Drivers illegally parked on Dallas highways and bridges to watch New Year’s Eve fireworks, causing massive gridlock that blocked emergency access and prevented residents from reaching their homes.
DALLAS - It's against Texas law for drivers to stop, stand, or park a vehicle on a highway like many did last night.
A driver who found herself stuck in the middle of all the traffic, described it as a party, and all she could do was sit there and wait.
Turning the highway to a parking lot
What we know:
DFW traffic can be bad at times, but New Year’s Eve was on another level.
TxDOT cameras captured the sea of red as people stopped or parked their cars for a view of the reunion tower fireworks and drone show.
FOX 4 cameras saw people out of cars, mingling on the highway, while they were waiting for the show.
Melissa Macatee left AT&T Stadium around 11 p.m. after working at the Cotton Bowl.
"And I kind of slipped out a little early, thinking, ‘Oh, I'm gonna beat the traffic.’ Haha, didn't happen," said Macatee.
Instead, she found herself stuck in grid lock...
Lawn chairs and sparklers on the highway
What they're saying:
"45 minutes on the highway trying to get into Downtown Dallas, you can see there's the exit for the riverfront, people parked everywhere," she said.
Macatee says people were out of their cars and celebrating...
"And to my right were two lanes of parked cars, and the lady, there's a guy with his lawn chairs out. Another lady had sparklers, and her granddaughter was holding the sparkler. And I was like, this is like a party."
It was not the New Year's party Macatee had planned, but with nothing to do, she put her car in park and waited it out.
"And I bet it was like 12:30, 12:35 when we finally started moving," she said.
Safety concerns and legal violations
Local perspective:
This video sent to FOX 4 shows people trying to get off Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge after the fireworks and drone show.
City councilwoman Laura Crenda told FOX 4 that she received several calls from people who weren't able to get to their homes because of the gridlocked traffic. She reached out to the city manager to come up with a solution.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office confirmed it is against Texas law to stop, park, or stand on a highway or bridge as many did. But with the number of roadways impacted, the sheriff's office says there aren't enough law enforcement officers to clear them.
"I just had no idea it was a thing. I would have gotten off earlier if I'd realized it was going to be traffic. I didn't intend to be stuck there," said Macafee.
Emergency access at risk
Dig deeper:
A big concern is that emergency vehicles cannot get through, which means calls for major crashes or medical emergencies could be delayed.
North Texas has seen similar issues with traffic in years past, but many people who posted say it seemed worse this New Year’s Eve.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Amelia Jones.