Granite spill shuts down US 75 in Richardson, injures two

Northbound US 75 in Richardson was effectively crippled for about an hour Tuesday after an 18-wheeler hauling 44,000 pounds of granite hit the center median near Campbell Road, broke open and scattered rock across the freeway. The crash damaged multiple vehicles, sent two people to the hospital with minor injuries and briefly closed three southbound lanes as crews worked to clear the roadway.

The wreck unfolded around 3:30 p.m., right in the middle of the afternoon commute through one of Collin County’s busiest corridors. Six northbound cars were either struck by the granite or drove over it, a reminder that a single commercial-truck crash can ripple far beyond the initial impact and quickly turn a traffic incident into a regional slowdown.

The roadway reopened just before 4:30 p.m., but the disruption hit a route that daily carries thousands of drivers between Richardson, Plano and the rest of the North Texas travel network. US 75 is especially sensitive to crashes because there are few easy substitutes when lanes are blocked near Campbell Road and traffic backs up into the heart of the corridor.

The truck’s load shattered after it struck the median, leaving granite scattered across northbound lanes and forcing emergency crews to manage both cleanup and traffic control. Even though the injuries were minor, the scale of the closure showed how vulnerable a major freeway can be when a heavy freight load spills across live traffic lanes.

The incident also landed on a highway already in the middle of a major overhaul. The City of Richardson says construction on the US 75 Tech Lane Project began in March 2024 and is expected to finish by the end of 2026. The project will convert the existing HOV lanes on US 75 from I-635 in Dallas County to SH 121/SRT in Collin County into peak-hour technology lanes.

TxDOT’s traffic monitoring program underscores why a shutdown on US 75 reverberates so widely. The agency says it conducts more than 75,000 short-term traffic counts each year and operates more than 350 continuous count stations that collect data around the clock. On a corridor this heavily watched and heavily used, even a short closure can throw off afternoon travel well beyond Richardson.

For drivers who need crash paperwork later, the Richardson Police Department says copies of crash reports can be purchased through its records section, online or in person.