I-45 Gulf Southbound wreck at Scott St early Sunday

A crash on I-45 Gulf Southbound at Scott Street around 5:56 AM on Sunday, July 12 knocked out lanes during the early morning hours and built a significant backup on one of the region's most heavily traveled corridors.

Responding officers cleared the scene, but the incident added to a troubling pattern at this location. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, I-45 Gulf Southbound at Scott Street has logged 61 incidents in the past 30 days—39 of them major crashes like this one. Over the past 90 days, the corridor has seen 163 total incidents, 82 of them major, and one fatal.

This location ranks among the highest-incident stretches in the region. Crashes here don't follow a single peak hour; they occur throughout the day and night. The data does show that Sundays see the most activity at this location—20 incidents over the past 90 days—though crashes happen on every day of the week.

For perspective, state crash records from the Texas Department of Transportation show 1,083 crashes within about a quarter-mile of this corridor since January 2020, with 5 fatalities. Contributing factors as recorded by the investigating officer, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the most common factor, accounting for 437 crashes at the location since January 2020. Hit-and-run crashes are also elevated here: 12.9% of the 2,332 units involved in crashes at the corridor fled the scene.

Weather at the time of the crash—overcast skies and 80 degrees—was not a contributing factor.

If you're heading south on I-45 through this area, Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 to the northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive offer alternatives. Check current conditions before you head out; delays can persist well into the morning commute depending on how quickly crews finish their work.