A major crash on SH-288 southbound at Southmore Boulevard brought traffic to a crawl Thursday morning. The collision happened at 7:22 AM, closing multiple southbound lanes during the early commute.
Authorities responded quickly to clear the scene. The southbound direction saw significant backups as crews worked the incident, though conditions on the northbound side remained unaffected. By mid-morning, the roadway had been cleared and traffic was moving again.
If you were heading south on 288 this morning, you weren't alone in feeling the pain. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, this exact location has logged 76 incidents in the past 30 days—31 of them major crashes. Over a 90-day stretch, the corridor recorded 216 total incidents, with 107 classified as major. That track record makes Southmore Boulevard a persistent flash point on this stretch of highway.
The timing here is telling. While crashes at this location occur throughout the day at varied times, the single busiest hour is consistently 3 to 4 PM, when 17 crashes have been recorded. A Thursday morning incident like this one shows the problem isn't limited to afternoon peaks.
Looking at the longer trend, state crash records from the Texas Department of Transportation show 1,151 crashes within a quarter-mile of this corridor since January 2020, with 6 fatal. The most frequently recorded contributing factor by investigating officers is "Failed To Control Speed," cited in 285 of those crashes. Speed management—or the lack of it—appears central to why this stretch sees so much trouble.
Thursday's weather was clear and mild at 83 degrees, so conditions weren't a complicating factor. The issue here is the corridor itself and driver behavior.
If you're heading south on 288 at Southmore during rush hours, consider alternatives. Almeda Road, South Main, or IH-69/US-59 as a parallel freeway can help you skirt the worst delays. Thursday's early-morning crash is a reminder that even off-peak times aren't a guarantee of smooth travel on this stretch.
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.