A major crash at I-45 and E Crosstimbers Street brought heavy delays to the northbound lanes around 6:13 AM on Tuesday, August 18, as morning traffic began to build across the corridor.
Responding officers found two vehicles involved in the collision. The impact of the crash quickly backed up traffic as crews worked to clear the debris and assess the situation. One lane remained blocked during the initial response, forcing drivers to merge and slowing the flow of traffic in both directions.
This isn't an isolated incident. According to LTA data, I-45 at E Crosstimbers has logged 89 crashes in the past 30 days, with 60 of those classified as major. Over the past 90 days, the intersection has recorded 223 total incidents—including 132 major crashes and 1 fatality. The 12-month tally stands at 484 incidents, 252 major, and 3 fatalities.
What makes this location particularly striking is when crashes tend to occur. Most collisions here fall outside the traditional weekday commute peaks; the single busiest hour is 3 to 4 PM, when the corridor logs an average of 25 crashes. However, Saturdays see the highest volume: 36 incidents per day over the past 90 days. A Tuesday morning crash like this one—while disruptive to early commuters—aligns with the location's off-peak pattern.
State crash records paint a detailed picture of the corridor's history. According to TxDOT CRIS public crash records, there have been 1,902 crashes within about a quarter-mile of this intersection since January 2020, resulting in 13 fatalities. Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 739 crashes at this location. Additionally, hit-and-run incidents account for 13.3 percent of all crashes here—561 of 4,220 vehicles involved.
Conditions at the time of the crash were relatively clear: broken clouds and 80 degrees. No weather-related factors appear to have played a role in this particular collision.
By mid-morning, crews had cleared the initial wreckage and traffic began flowing more freely. Drivers heading northbound on I-45 near E Crosstimbers should expect residual delays as traffic normalizes.
**Update (2:15 PM CT):** The major crash at I-45 & E Crosstimbers St, first reported at 6:13 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.