SH-288 southbound crash at Coale Rd in Brazoria County

A major crash shut down SH-288 southbound at Coale Rd in Brazoria County around 12:19 PM Thursday, June 18, backed up traffic on one of the region's busiest arterials during afternoon drive time.

Authorities responded to the incident and worked to clear the roadway. Details on vehicle count and injury status were still being finalized as crews worked the scene.

This stretch of SH-288 has become a consistent trouble spot. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, the corridor logged 15 incidents over the past 30 days, with 13 classified as major. That same location saw 37 total incidents in the past 90 days — 21 of them major — and 65 incidents over the past 12 months, 43 of which were major. The data shows crashes here occur at varied times rather than clustering in a single peak window, though Thursdays tend to see the highest count.

Historical crash records from the Texas Department of Transportation paint a broader picture. Since January 2020, the corridor has recorded 418 crashes, with "Failed To Control Speed" cited as the most common contributing factor by investigating officers in 137 of those cases, per TxDOT CRIS public crash records.

If you're heading south on SH-288, consider Almeda Rd, South Main, or IH-69/US-59 as parallel routes until the roadway clears. Check real-time traffic feeds for current conditions and estimated clearance time.

Thursday afternoon heat reached 94 degrees with scattered clouds — typical summer conditions that don't typically compound crash risk in themselves, though congestion from a midday incident can extend delays well into the evening commute window.

**Update (2:20 PM CT):** As of 2:20 PM CT, the scene remains active and lanes may still be affected. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes.

**Update (4:20 PM CT):** More than 4 hours after the initial report, the scene remains active. Motorists should continue to seek alternate routes.