A major motor vehicle accident shut down the eastbound Exit 776A ramp on I-10 near Mercury early Saturday morning, bringing traffic to a crawl during the pre-dawn hours. Houston Fire Department responded to the collision at 4:24 AM on April 04, 2026, finding a serious wreck that blocked the critical exit point for eastbound drivers heading toward Pasadena and the refineries beyond.
The timing couldn't have been worse for early morning commuters. Though 4:24 AM typically sees lighter traffic than rush hour, the I-10 eastbound corridor was already moving steady volume toward the petrochemical facilities in the Pasadena area. Drivers heading east who encountered the closure faced significant delays, with backups quickly spreading westbound toward Downtown and the 288 interchange. Those needing to reach Pasadena had limited options—the alternate route via I-610 North through Downtown and across I-90 adds substantial time, while surface streets through neighborhood areas like Greens Bayou and Settegast remain slow alternatives.
This section of I-10 East has become a persistent trouble spot in Harris County. LTA data shows 42 major incidents over the past 12 months at Exit 776A and the Mercury ramp area—a stretch that's no stranger to serious collisions. The Mercury exit serves as a critical gateway for industrial traffic heading toward the ship channel and Pasadena refineries, handling a constant flow of heavy trucks and commuter vehicles throughout the day and night. Congestion here often triggers cascading delays across the entire eastbound corridor.
Houston Fire Department had the scene under active management through the early morning hours. Eastbound I-10 traffic experienced significant delays as crews worked the incident, with residual congestion affecting the westbound side as rubber-necking slowed through-traffic. Drivers heading to Southeast Houston and the industrial areas beyond should expect delays into the morning commute and consider alternate routing or delaying travel if possible.
34 incidents had occurred at this location in the 30 days prior.
86 new incidents have been logged at this location after this crash. 67 of the more recent crashes were major.
Crashes have accelerated at this location in the months since.
Multiple crashes occurred at this location within a tight time window.
That total ranks this location among the highest-incident corridors in the county.
Last incident at this location recorded May 28, 2026.
EXIT 776A E IH 10 FWY @ MERCURY EXIT RAMP
Harris 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.