A crash on I-45 northbound near the I-10 eastbound entrance ramp sent at least one vehicle to the shoulder at 2:22 AM on Friday, May 22, 2026. The incident occurred during clear conditions on an off-peak hour, but it marks another collision at a corridor that's logged 135 incidents in the past 30 days alone.
The northbound lanes experienced delays as crews cleared the debris. The crash blocked at least one travel lane temporarily, backing traffic toward the Memorial area. By the time responders worked the scene, the bulk of early-morning drivers had already passed through — the 2:22 AM timing meant most commuters were still hours away from their first run north on I-45.
What makes this particular crash noteworthy isn't its timing, but its location. The I-45 northbound stretch at the I-10 ramp is one of the most collision-prone spots in Harris County. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, this corridor has recorded 416 total incidents over the past 90 days, including 200 major crashes and 4 fatal collisions. The 30-day count of 135 incidents — 65 of which were major — places this section in the extreme category for the region.
The data also reveals a curious pattern: while this location sees 37% of its crashes during rush hour, the dominant incident time window here is actually off-peak. That means even at 2:22 AM, when traffic is light and most drivers are off the road, collisions still happen. The highest-incident day at this location is Monday, when 46 crashes were logged over the 90-day tracking period. Peak crash hour is the 5 PM-6 PM window, which saw 22 incidents in the same span.
Harris County as a whole recorded 19,460 incidents in the past 30 days, including 17 fatalities. The I-45 north corridor at I-10 accounts for a disproportionate share of that county total — a stark reminder that certain stretches see collision rates far above the regional average.
The incident was cleared within standard response time. No additional details regarding injuries, vehicle count, or lane closure duration are available at this time. Traffic returned to normal flow by the time Friday morning's commute began building around 6 AM.
Update (10:25 AM CT): The major crash at IH45OB-MEMORIAL 18 N IH 45 FWY @ E IH 10 OB ENTR RAMP, first reported at 2:22 AM, has cleared after more than 8 hours. All lanes have reopened and normal traffic flow has resumed in the area.
Sources: TxDOT Crash Records Information System and Local Traffic Accidents database. Counts through October 1, 2026.
Going back a month from this incident, 135 crashes had been recorded at the location.
In the 138 days since this incident, the location has seen 381 more crashes. 174 have been logged as major collisions. 1 of the more recent crashes ended in a fatality.
Incidents have arrived less frequently at this location since.
A stretch of consecutive days brought several crashes to this location.
The combined before-and-after total places this location in the upper tier of county incident counts.
Counts reflect data through October 06, 2026.
IH45OB-MEMORIAL 18 N IH 45 FWY @ E IH 10 OB ENTR 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.