---
A major crash on SH-249 northbound at FM-1488 erupted Thursday evening at 4:58 PM, backing up traffic during the tail end of rush hour.
The collision blocked multiple lanes, forcing northbound drivers into a crawl while crews worked to clear the wreckage. Harris County Sheriff's deputies and emergency responders worked the scene as backups extended in both directions.
This is the 20th incident at this exact location in the past 30 days, according to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data. Over the past 90 days, the corridor has recorded 39 total incidents, with 20 of those classified as major. The stretch has been particularly volatile on Thursdays — this week marks the eighth Thursday-incident count at FM-1488 over the past three months.
While the 7 AM–8 AM window is typically the hottest hour at this intersection (four crashes in 90 days), this evening's timing reflects a pattern worth noting: one-third of all crashes here occur during rush hour periods, suggesting commuter volume and speed play a role in the incident frequency.
If you're heading northbound on 249, consider detouring via Kuykendahl Road or Stuebner Airline to avoid the backup. The toll road typically moves smoothly once you clear FM-1488, but expect delays through that corridor for at least the next hour.
Clear skies and 90-degree heat shouldn't have complicated visibility or traction, so driver behavior and volume were likely primary factors in this one. Crews should have the northbound lanes reopened by early evening, but the backup may persist longer as traffic sorts itself out.
18 incidents had occurred at this location in the 30 days prior.
The location continued to accumulate incidents — 12 more after this crash. Of those, 6 were major collisions. 1 of the more recent crashes ended in a fatality.
Crash frequency has dropped at the location after this incident.
Several of those incidents clustered within a short window.
The full count places this location among the top crash sites in the county.
Counts run through July 13, 2026.
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.