A major crash shut down I-45 Gulf northbound at Airport Boulevard early Monday morning, backing up commuters during the start of the work week. The collision happened at 5:53 AM on July 27, 2026, forcing crews to close lanes while they worked the scene.
The backup stretched during the critical morning push as drivers tried to navigate around the incident. If you're heading north on 45 through this corridor, expect significant delays. Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 to the northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive offer ways around the gridlock.
This stretch of I-45 Gulf northbound at Airport Boulevard has seen repeated incidents over the past month. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, seven major crashes have been reported here in the past 30 days — all of them rated major severity. Over 90 days, that number climbs to 12 major incidents at the same location. Crashes are the dominant incident type here, and Mondays have historically been the busiest day for collisions at this spot, with five incidents recorded on Mondays alone in the past 90 days.
The incident remains active. Crews are working to clear the road, and updates on clearance time should follow shortly. In the meantime, if you need to travel north on 45 through this area, plan extra time or take one of the alternate routes. Road conditions remain fluid, so check for updates before you head out.
IH-45 Gulf Northbound at Airport Blvd/College Ave
Harris County, Texas
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.