A major crash on northbound US 59 at the Polk Street exit ramp sent one vehicle into the median early Sunday morning. The wreck happened at 1:56 AM on June 21, and crews worked through light rain to clear the scene.
The outbound lanes backed up significantly during the response, though the exact duration of the closure wasn't immediately clear. Light rain and 76-degree temperatures were in effect at the time of the crash.
This particular stretch of US 59 is seeing a relentless pace of incidents. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, 131 crashes have occurred within a half-mile of this location over the past 30 days alone — 65 of them classified as major. Over the past 90 days, that number climbs to 391 total incidents, with 209 rated major. The 12-month toll is even steeper: 604 incidents, including 303 major crashes and 6 fatalities.
The timing pattern here is scattered rather than concentrated into a single rush period. While the heaviest single hour occurs between 4 and 5 PM (18 crashes during that window), wrecks happen throughout the day and night. This early-morning incident fits a broader pattern of crashes occurring at varied times.
Per TxDOT CRIS public crash records, the corridor has recorded 3,128 crashes since January 2020 within about a quarter-mile of this location, including 7 fatalities. Contributing factors as recorded by the investigating officer show "Failed To Control Speed" as the most common citation, appearing in 730 crashes at this site.
Since this incident, LTA data shows 4 additional crashes have occurred within a half-mile of this location.
Wet-condition crashes represent a significant concern statewide. TxDOT reports wet conditions contributed to over 14,000 Texas crashes in the most recent annual reporting period, underscoring the risk that rain poses on high-traffic corridors like this one.
Responding officers cleared the scene and traffic flow resumed, though backups likely lingered given the early-morning incident timing and the ongoing light rain. Drivers using northbound US 59 near Polk should remain alert to residual congestion and wet pavement conditions.
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.