A major crash on the North Sam Houston Tollway westbound at SH-249 Tomball Parkway sent traffic into backup Saturday evening. The collision happened at 5:56 PM on May 23, with mist conditions reducing visibility across the area.
The incident created significant delays for drivers heading westbound through the interchange, one of Harris County's most active crash corridors. If you're using the tollway in that stretch, expect disruptions and consider using alternate routes — Kuykendahl Road or Stuebner Airline for Tomball Parkway segments can help you avoid the backup.
This location has seen substantial incident activity over the past month. According to LTA data, the North Sam Houston Tollway at SH-249 has logged 54 incidents in the past 30 days, with 45 rated major. Over a 90-day window, the corridor shows 111 total incidents, 94 of them major. While most crashes here happen during off-peak hours, about a third of incidents occur during rush-hour windows — a pattern that complicates recovery when evening collisions block lanes.
The mist conditions at the time of the crash are worth noting. TxDOT reports wet or reduced-visibility conditions contributed to over 14,000 Texas crashes in the most recent annual reporting period. Roads with moisture and mist present additional braking challenges, especially at busy freeway interchanges where traffic flow is already complex.
Crews responded to clear the scene. Check real-time conditions before heading into that area — the backup may persist through the evening as crews work to reopen lanes and recover the vehicles involved.
Sources: TxDOT Crash Records Information System and Local Traffic Accidents database. Counts through October 1, 2026.
52 crashes had already been logged here in the month before this incident.
In the days and weeks following this crash, the location recorded 131 more incidents. Major-severity incidents accounted for 86 of the total.
A short window saw several crashes at the location.
The aggregate count puts this location in the most active tier of county crash sites.
Counts reflect data through October 05, 2026.
North Sam Houston Tollway Westbound at SH-249 Tomball Parkway
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.