HOUSTON — The Greater Houston area experienced significant traffic congestion over the weekend of March 13-15, 2026, with emergency responders managing 3,636 total incidents across a three-day period, including 1,562 major crashes, according to traffic data compiled from regional authorities.
Harris County bore the brunt of the weekend's traffic challenges, accounting for 3,372 of the region's incidents, while Fort Bend County reported 195 incidents. Montgomery County experienced 34 incidents, followed by Galveston with 23. Additional incidents were scattered across Milam, Waller, Liberty, Burleson, and Grimes counties. The concentrated impact on Harris County underscores the strain placed on Houston's metropolitan transportation infrastructure during peak weekend periods.
A troubling pattern emerged across all three days, with the most severe incidents occurring in late evening hours. Friday, March 13, recorded 1,288 total incidents with 506 classified as major, including a fatal pedestrian strike on Westheimer Road and multiple serious crashes on US-290 Northwest at Becker. Saturday proved to be the busiest day of the weekend with 1,303 incidents and 528 major crashes, culminating in at least two fatal accidents on Kirby Drive and several significant incidents on major thoroughfares including the East Sam Houston Tollway and Memorial Hermann area. Sunday, March 15, saw slightly lower activity with 1,045 incidents and 528 major crashes, though the evening hours remained particularly problematic with concentrated incidents along Richmond Avenue and surrounding corridors.
The data reveals a concerning concentration of serious incidents during nighttime hours, with the majority of reported major crashes, vehicle accidents, and pedestrian strikes occurring between 11:30 p.m. and midnight across all three days. Major freeways, including US-59, US-290, and the Sam Houston Tollway, were hotspots for serious collisions, while surface streets such as Richmond Avenue, Kirby Drive, and Westheimer Road also experienced significant incident activity.
Traffic officials urge Houston-area drivers to exercise heightened caution during evening commutes and late-night travel, particularly on major thoroughfares. The weekend's incident count represents a significant operational challenge for emergency responders and highlights ongoing concerns about traffic safety across the region's congested roadways.
Houston Area
Multiple County, Texas
This report was produced by LTA's editor-designed production system under the executive editorial direction of Dennis R. Mundy, Executive Editor. The system combines our proprietary data pipeline with AI-assisted drafting to deliver verified incident coverage to LTA's editorial standards.