Exit 123 on US 59 wreck early Saturday

A motor vehicle incident at Exit 123 on southbound US 59 at the Chimney Rock entrance ramp shut down the corridor early Saturday morning. Responding officers were called out around 5:04 AM to the scene where conditions were overcast and 78 degrees.

The wreck ranks as a major incident—the kind that clogs the southbound approach during what should've been an empty stretch of highway before dawn. For drivers heading south on US 59, even a Saturday morning crash means backups that ripple across the zone until crews clear the scene and lanes reopen.

This location has become a chronic hotspot for crashes. According to LTA data, Exit 123 at Chimney Rock recorded 32 incidents over the past 30 days alone, with 18 classified as major. Over the past 12 months, the site has logged 338 total incidents, including 165 major crashes and 4 fatalities. The sheer volume is hard to ignore: 139 crashes in 90 days, 68 of them major.

The timing of today's incident is notable. LTA data shows that most crashes here fall outside the weekday commute peaks—the single busiest hour at this location is 1–2 PM, when the crash count jumps to 18 over the past period. A Saturday early morning is typically calmer, which makes this wreck an outlier by time of day, though hardly by frequency.

TxDOT public crash records paint an even broader picture. Since January 2020, the corridor within about a quarter-mile has seen 1,346 crashes. The leading contributing factor, as recorded by investigating officers, shows "Failed To Control Speed" cited in 545 crashes. That pattern—drivers not adjusting speed to road or traffic conditions—dominates the officer reports at this high-incident zone.

Clearly, this stretch of US 59 at Chimney Rock is not a one-off problem. The data speaks for itself: dozens of crashes every month, hundreds every year, concentrated in a tight geographic zone. Whether you're a regular on this corridor or an occasional driver, the numbers suggest caution is warranted here, especially given the preponderance of speed-related citations in the crash history.

Authorities worked to clear the scene this morning. Traffic conditions should begin to normalize once the incident is fully cleared and all lanes are reopened. Monitor local traffic updates for real-time information on lane status and estimated clearance time.

Update (1:05 PM CT): The major crash at EXIT 123 S US 59 FREEWAY at CHIMNEY ROCK ENTR RAMP, first reported at 5:04 AM, has cleared after more than 8 hours. All lanes have reopened and normal traffic flow has resumed in the area.