I-45 North at La Branch shut by major crash Sunday morning

A major crash shut down I-45 northbound at La Branch Street around 6:26 AM on Sunday, July 12, backing up traffic during what would normally be a lighter-volume morning window.

Responding officers worked to clear the wreckage and reopen the corridor. The incident forced drivers onto alternate routes during the morning hours.

This crash is one of 143 incidents LTA has recorded at this I-45 North and La Branch intersection over the past 30 days—a stark reflection of the location's crash frequency. Over the past year, the intersection has seen 942 total incidents, including 9 fatal crashes, according to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data.

The intersection sits on one of the region's busiest and most incident-prone segments. While the single busiest hour at this location is typically 4–5 PM (averaging 22 crashes), incidents occur at varied times throughout the day and week, including early-morning hours like this one. Wednesday is the highest-incident day here, with 51 crashes recorded in a 90-day span.

State crash records from the Texas Department of Transportation show that "Failed To Control Speed" is the most common contributing factor recorded by investigating officers at this corridor, cited in 738 crashes since January 2020. That pattern suggests speed management is a persistent challenge across the location's crash history.

Conditions at the time of the crash were overcast with temperatures around 81 degrees—not adverse weather, though wet conditions have historically been a factor in crashes at this and similar freeway locations. TxDOT reports that wet conditions contributed to over 14,000 Texas crashes in the most recent annual reporting period.

For Sunday drivers, the closure disrupted early-morning travel in Harris County, where the region logged 18,180 incidents in the past month. Check current conditions before heading out; the roadway should reopen within the hour pending final clearance by responding crews.