A Dallas Morning News investigation into the deadly pileup on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth three years ago has illuminated a disturbing lack of oversight by Texas’ transportation agency of the private entity that operates the toll road.

Reporter Yamil Berard scoured through thousands of pages of court records, documents from the National Transportation Safety Board, and videos of that tragic day in February 2021 when 130 cars, trucks and semis piled up along a stretch of the North Tarrant Express. Early morning commuters, unaware of the black ice beneath them, crashed one after another along two lanes bound by concrete barriers on both sides. The horrific scene spanned the length of three football fields.

Among the most alarming revelations in the News investigation is that the operator, North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners, or NTE, did not have a final winter maintenance plan in place in February 2021 when the accident claimed the lives of six people and injured scores more.

Even more troubling is that the contract between the Texas Department of Transportation and NTE, a consortium headed by the giant Spanish firm Cintra, apparently did not even require the operator to have such a plan, according to the investigation.

NTE has a winter maintenance plan in place now, the investigation found, but has fought its disclosure in civil court where dozens of plaintiffs are seeking damages. NTE claims that the plan is proprietary and shouldn’t be revealed.

Proprietary? Critical safety information on the maintenance of public roads traveled every year by thousands of Texans shouldn’t be disclosed to all of us?

Not only should state officials require such information be readily available, but they should demand that the operator is adhering to best practices in highway safety. TXDOT simply cannot abdicate its vital responsibility to keep drivers safe by allowing this kind of obfuscation.

An agency spokesperson told Berard that it regularly communicates and coordinates operations with the NTE. But that’s not enough. Any contract between the agency and private toll road operators should omit the non-disclosure provisions that impede public scrutiny, as several experts in the News investigation noted.

Indeed, the News investigation “reveals a lack of general oversight by the Texas Department of Transportation of private toll operators — an issue that also was previously raised in “Toll Trap,” The News’ ongoing year-long investigation into the state’s toll roads,” Berard wrote. In their final report in early 2023, federal investigators looking into the I-35W crash also cited a lack of coordination between TXDOT and NTE, something we raised serious concerns about in 2022.

This is particularly concerning given that Texas, which has more toll roads than any other state, often struck contracts with private entities to build them. Toll roads have done much to alleviate clogged roadways in the state. But Texas must do much better in overseeing these operators.

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The Vanderbilt Commodores came close to another historic win on Saturday. 

The team just fell short as they fell to the Texas Longhorns 27-24 in a hard-fought battle in Nashville. After the game, Vanderbilt’s head coach, Clark Lea, expressed how disappointed he and the rest of the team were after the loss in the SEC showdown. 

“I’ve got a disappointed team. I think it’s important that, no different than when we celebrate games that, we allow for time for this to hurt. Because my team expected to win that game, and to come up short is unfortunate, but there’s a lot for us to learn and a lot that we can apply from this exposure.”

Expecting to win a game against a top-five opponent is easily a new mindset for this program that they have failed to see for quite some time. After proving to the country that this team “This isn’t old Vandy” after upsetting top-ranked Alabama just a few weeks ago, the roster’s confidence is higher than it’s been in a very long time. 

The Commodores started strong after intercepting Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on the first drive of the contest. Vanderbilt then capitalized of the turnover and scored on a gritty touchdown run by star quarterback Diego Pavia. After that, the Longhorns took over the rest of the first half. 

Texas would quickly score on their next two drives, putting the Dores down in an SEC matchup for the first time this season. They would head into halftime with an 11-point lead, 21-10, after a 54-yard field goal by Brock Taylor right before the end of the quarter. 

The Commodores made a valiant effort to keep the game close. In the second half, they outscored the Longhorns 14-6. They prevented the fifth-ranked team in the country from scoring a touchdown in the final two-quarters of a game they were looking to close out. 

“They were a better team tonight, and they found a way to win. They separated early, and I felt we battled back and showed a little fight in the second half. It was just too late by the time we synced up and made a run for it,” said coach Lea. “I felt like in the second half, we finally settled in our identity and played what I considered to be Vanderbilt football; it just took too long.”

The Dores won the turnover battle on Saturday, intercepting Ewers twice and recovering a fumble. However, the defense struggled early to stop the high-powered Texas offense. 

Ewers recorded 18 Consecutive completions following his first interception, including leading Texas to back-to-back scoring drives. He finished the day with 288 yards in the air and three touchdowns. 

Vanderbilt also struggled to contain the Longhorns’ running game, as Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue averaged over 4.5 yards per carry and broke runs over 20 yards on the day, including multiple crucial plays that moved the chains. 

Despite the team’s defeat, the expectations for the program remain high. As they head into the final four games of the season, they will need just one more victory to secure their first bowl season since 2018. 

It won’t be an easy task to pick up one of those wins, as the next four games are against some of the toughest teams in the SEC. Next week’s matchup might be the team’s best chance at punching their ticket as they are set to take the road to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the 3-5 Auburn Tigers.

The Cowboys are back from their bye week, hoping to be refreshed and recovered from their tough loss to the Lions in Week 6. Unfortunately, the Cowboys will have to play another game without Micah Parsons, who was officially ruled out on Friday. However, the 49ers come into this matchup with their own long list of injuries.

The CBS Sports Texas team gives their Week 8 predictions:

George Teague:

The injuries at the 49ers’ skill positions make me lean toward the Cowboys. Recently, the Niners have dominated this matchup, but the pressure is mounting in Dallas. Both teams are struggling, and I wonder if the 49ers’ Super Bowl window is closing.

With key players sidelined, San Francisco is facing significant challenges, while the Cowboys have glaring weaknesses that can’t be ignored. Ultimately, I see the Cowboys playing better on the road, particularly after a bye week. Despite their inability to run the ball effectively, I believe Mike McCarthy and the team will take every creative step necessary to come out of San Francisco with a win.

Prediction: Cowboys 25, 49ers 23

Bill Jones:

It’s a tall order for the Cowboys to win any game without Micah Parsons, and that will be the case again Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the 49ers are banged up as well, but they do have both of their elite pass rushers, Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd. Bosa and Floyd against Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele should give the Niners a big advantage in this game. San Francisco should get its fourth straight win over Dallas and maintain its psychological edge over the Cowboys.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Cowboys 16

Isaiah Stanback:

The 49ers’ roster is literally beaten up and prone to a beatdown. The Dallas Cowboys will edge out the Niners in this battle of wills and shallow depth charts. To come out with the victory, Dallas will need to stop the league’s second-best running back, undrafted Jordan Mason, who is second only to Derrick Henry and a notch above Saquon Barkley. Mason is a strong, patient, and explosive runner who is a complete problem for opposing defenses.

Speaking of defenses, Dallas will need to try its best to resemble a speed bump to slow down the NFL quarterback pressure leader, Nick Bosa.

If Dallas can shut down these players, they will come away from this game with a win.

Prediction: Cowboys 17, 49ers 13

Briana Aldridge:

If it were literally any other team the Cowboys were playing after the bye week, I would pick them to win. However, Kyle Shanahan knows how to limit what Dallas can do on both sides of the ball. I can still remember George Kittle going viral for counting each of his touchdowns in the camera.

There’s a lot of pride and determination after the Lions game, and national critics have torn this team apart; however, I don’t think the Cowboys have the tools with their top pass rushers out and linebacker Eric Kendricks fighting two separate injuries.

Prediction: 49ers 23, Cowboys 21