Half of the 26 Union Pacific train cars that derailed in a rural area of Roanoke Sunday evening were cleared as of 6 a.m., authorities said.
The derailment shut down U.S. 377 in both directions. The highway will remain closed while heavy equipment is moved in and out of the derailment site, according to a news release from Union Pacific. It is expected to reopen by 8 p.m.
Crews worked through the night and cleared 13 cars, including two of the five cars that landed in Denton Creek, according to the release.
Police responded to the derailment about 6 p.m. near the 3000 block of U.S. 377, between Bobcat Boulevard and Cross Timbers Road, said Det. Sandy Pettigrew, police spokeswoman.
The railroad runs parallel to the two-lane highway. The train was going south when 26 rail cars went off the tracks, said Jeff DeGraff, a spokesman for Union Pacific.
Flower Mound police were diverting southbound traffic at Cross Timbers Road, about a mile north of the derailment. Roanoke police are coordinating traffic detours and re-routes as of 6 a.m. this morning.
No injuries were reported.
Union Pacific officials were at the scene investigating the derailment Sunday night. The cause of the crash had not been determined, though the bridge over Denton Creek “appears to have failed,” Pettigrew said.
The train was hauling coal, DeGraff said, so there was no threat of hazardous materials leaking into Denton Creek, which feeds into Grapevine Lake.
Track repairs also have begun on about 1600 feet of rail that was damaged. It will be replaced, according to the news release. Damage to the bridge will take a number of days to repair, authorities said.
Rafael Sears: 817-390-7657, @searsrafael
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