A major crash brought southbound I-45 to a standstill near Rayford Road and Sawdust Road at 5:34 AM on Tuesday, July 28. The wreck shut down multiple lanes and left commuters backed up significantly during the critical early-morning window.
The incident forced traffic off the main freeway as crews worked to clear the roadway. Delays extended well into the morning commute as recovery operations unfolded.
If you're heading south on 45 through this stretch, consider the Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 to the northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive as alternatives while lanes remain disrupted.
This crash marks the ninth major incident at this location in the past 30 days, according to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data. Over the past three months, the corridor has seen 27 major crashes. The pattern underscores the intensity of incidents concentrated along this section of I-45 southbound.
Current status: Check real-time traffic updates before heading out. Recovery is ongoing, and the road should return to normal flow once the wreckage is cleared and lanes are confirmed open.
**Update (7:35 AM CT):** As of 7:35 AM CT, the scene remains active and lanes may still be affected. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes.
IH-45 Southbound at Rayford Rd/Sawdust Rd
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.