A highway ramp south of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport will remain closed through Friday morning, officials say, after a bridge buckled, creating a large, hazardous speed bump Thursday afternoon.
Drivers reported that the southbound ramp to Texas state Highway 360, accessible from both the south exit of D/FW Airport's Spur 97 and the westbound state Highway 183 access road, has buckled, causing vehicles driving at a normal rate of speed to go slightly airborne and lose traction with the pavement.
Fort Worth police said the buckling has caused the road to be raised approximately eight to 10 inches higher where the ramp's bridge joins the road built over the ground.
Crews were dispatched to the scene where they, with mixed results, tried to get drivers to slow down while passing over the raised joint. The ramp was eventually closed to traffic and is expected to remain that way until repairs can be made Friday.
"We've gone ahead and shut this ramp down for public safety, we're unsure what caused this, but we're looking into it," said Selma Stockstill, with Southgate Constructors.
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Drivers on westbound Texas 183 can still take the exit ramp to Texas 360 south.
There are no reports of any injuries.
NBC 5 Photojournalist Kevin Stewart drove over the buckled road to show the problem from a driver's perspective.
NBC 5's Ben Russell and Frank Heinz contributed to this report. We will update this story with more information as soon as it's available. As this story is developing, elements may change.
