Southwest Fwy southbound reopens to traffic after 2 separate crashes

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Thursday afternoon traffic nightmare got even worse on the southbound Southwest Freeway as crews tried to clear not one but two separate crashes.

ABC13 first reported on a deadly motorcycle crash on the outbound US-59 at Bissonnet that happened at about 12:15 p.m. The Houston Police Department said a motorcyclist slammed into a big rig.

Police shut down the freeway at that point and diverted motorists off the freeway.

Some four hours after the crash - and as the original closure continued - a second separate crash took place just down the freeway at US-59 and Brighton Lane at the Harris-Fort Bend county line. There's no immediate word of injuries in this crash.

The hourslong holdup came to a fortunate end just before 5 p.m. as crews completed clean up of both incidents.