A two-vehicle collision closed lanes on I-45 at Exit 50B early Friday morning. The crash happened at 3:33 AM on August 14, shutting down traffic on the freeway in Harris County as crews worked to clear the scene.
Responding officers and emergency personnel worked to remove the vehicles and reopen the roadway. No information on injuries or lane-closure duration was immediately available.
This crash adds to a significant pattern at Exit 50B. According to LTA data, the corridor has recorded 51 incidents over the past 30 days, with 13 classified as major. Over the past 90 days, that count climbs to 131 total incidents, 59 of them major. In the past 12 months, Exit 50B has seen 301 incidents, 143 of them major.
The data shows crashes occur throughout the day and night at this location. The single busiest hour is 7 to 8 AM, though crashes here happen at varied times rather than concentrating in one window.
According to TxDOT CRIS public crash records dating to January 2020, the corridor near Exit 50B has logged 935 crashes, including 4 fatalities. Contributing factors as recorded by the investigating officer show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 370 crashes. The hit-and-run rate at the corridor stands at 12.1 percent.
Friday's early-morning collision occurred under overcast skies with temperatures around 81 degrees. Motorists heading northbound or southbound on I-45 through this exit should expect residual delays as the scene clears and normal traffic flow resumes.
**Update (11:35 AM CT):** The major crash at Exit 50B I-45, first reported at 3:33 AM, has cleared after more than 8 hours. All lanes have reopened and normal traffic flow has resumed in the area.
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.