Houston TranStar reported the incident at about 10 a.m. In a 4:21 p.m. update, TxDOT said the incident had been cleared and all affected lanes were reopened.
TxDOT officials said the lost load from the strike is on I-10 eastbound at Houston Avenue, approaching downtown Houston. They told ABC13 that this was a hit-and-run driver who they say did not stick around.
SkyEye flew over the incident, where a large container could be seen lying across the freeway.
This is just the latest incident involving the bridge being hit. TxDOT says the bridge has been hit 67 times in 2025 alone, and that there are others that go unreported.
TxDOT couldn't say if 67 hits in just eight months were high or out of the ordinary, saying they didn't have other data in front of them.
Each time the bridge is hit, TxDOT does an inspection. The department said following Thursday's incident, the bridge is still safe for use.
Not every impact to the Houston Avenue Bridge is a massive underside strike, but they have happened before, with Eyewitness News covering a handful in the last year.
In February, TxDOT reported that the bridge was struck by a tall load.
Just in May, it was hit twice -- first by an 18-wheeler carrying large cylinders and then a second time by another 18-wheeler.
TxDOT has said the Houston Avenue Bridge will be completely replaced in the ongoing White Oak Project. That work is expected to run through late 2028.
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