A major crash on IH-45 North southbound at Tidwell Road brought traffic to a standstill Wednesday morning. The wreck happened at 8:07 AM, and responding officers worked to clear the scene and assess the situation.
This stretch of IH-45 has become a persistent flashpoint for collisions. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, the corridor logged 29 incidents in the past 30 days alone—17 of them major. Over the past year, the location has recorded 173 total incidents, including 94 major crashes and 3 fatalities. The pattern extends further back: Texas Department of Transportation crash records show 1,193 crashes within a quarter-mile of this intersection since January 2020.
The timing of today's crash falls outside the typical commute surge. LTA data shows that while most crashes here occur outside weekday rush-hour peaks, the single busiest hour at this location is 2–3 PM, when 9 crashes were recorded over the 30-day analysis window.
When crashes do happen on this corridor, speed control emerges as a central factor. Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS public crash records, show "Failed To Control Speed" cited in 533 crashes at this location since 2020—by far the most common recorded factor.
Conditions at the time of today's crash were overcast but dry, with temperatures near 80 degrees. Rain isn't a factor this morning, but the corridor's crash history stands regardless of weather.
If you're heading northbound through this area, Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive offer ways around the congestion. Southbound traffic was the primary impact this morning, but lanes should reopen as crews finish their work.
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.