US 290 westbound crash at Hollister-Tidwell early Thursday

A motor vehicle incident brought westbound US 290 to a crawl near the Hollister-Tidwell exit around 6:47 AM on Thursday, July 9. The crash hit during one of the corridor's busiest windows — the 6 to 7 AM hour — when drivers are already racing to get to work.

The wreck blocked lanes and created immediate backup along the freeway. Responding officers worked to clear the scene, but the incident added to an already strained stretch of roadway.

US 290 westbound at Hollister-Tidwell has become a consistent trouble spot. According to LTA real-time incident database records, the corridor has logged 28 incidents over the past 30 days — 17 of them major. Over the past 90 days, that number climbs to 99 total incidents, with 77 classified as major. The numbers tell the story: this location sees crashes regularly, across different times of day, though the early morning push remains the single busiest hour for collisions here.

Per TxDOT CRIS public crash records dating back to January 2020, the corridor has experienced 818 crashes within about a quarter-mile. The most commonly recorded contributing factor by investigating officers: "Failed To Control Speed," cited in 290 of those crashes. Additionally, the corridor has seen a hit-and-run rate of 10.9 percent — 181 of the vehicles involved in crashes there left the scene, according to state records.

Clear skies and temperatures around 85 degrees marked the morning conditions — no weather complications factored into this particular incident. That's a reminder that this location's crash frequency isn't driven by seasonal or weather-related spikes; it's consistent year-round.

The incident cleared and traffic returned to normal flow as the morning commute continued. Drivers heading westbound on 290 should remain alert through this corridor — the corridor's history suggests another incident here is never far off.