LIVINGSTON, Texas — US Highway 190 West will be closed in the early morning hours of Friday as crews work to remove an aircraft that crashed in Lake Livingston earlier this week while responding to wildfires in Polk County.
The Texas Department of Transportation - Lufkin District said the closure will start at 1:30 a.m. and end around 4 a.m. for both the eastbound and westbound lanes from FM 356 to the Lake Livingston Causeway Bridge.
Barricades will be in place and TxDOT officials will monitor the closure, the statement read.
The Texas A&M Forest Service Fire Boss Single Engine Air Tanker/Scooper crashed into the lake while responding to wildfires in the Corrigan area around 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials said the pilot was rescued and was treated on the shore.
"The pilot's emergency procedures training helped the pilot react quickly and safely extricate from the aircraft," the TAMFS said.
The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Onalaska Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Department, and HazMat crews will all be working to remove the plane.
“We are expecting crane operations to begin at about 2 a.m.,” said Rhonda Oaks, TxDOT public information officer. “Motorists are urged to stay alert for this full closure, obey all traffic control and stay alert for moving equipment and workers near the bridge."
Once the plane is removed from the lake, US 190 will reopen, which should happen around 4 a.m., Oaks said.
