A crash on I-45 northbound at the I-10 East interchange near Milam at 2:22 AM on Wednesday, August 19, sent traffic into a backup during the overnight hours. Responding officers worked to clear the scene and reopen lanes, though exact lane-closure details and injury information were not immediately available.
The timing of this incident—in the pre-dawn window—spared commuters the kind of gridlock that would've strangled the corridor during peak hours. That's a small mercy at this particular stretch of highway. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com real-time data, I-45 northbound at I-10 East has recorded 45 incidents over the past 30 days, with 31 classified as major crashes. Over the past 90 days, the intersection has seen 99 total incidents, 70 of them major.
This location carries significant history. State crash records from the Texas Department of Transportation show 1,368 crashes within about a quarter-mile of this interchange since January 2020. Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 574 crashes at the corridor over that period.
The 4 to 5 PM hour is the single busiest window at this location—it saw 10 crashes in recent tracking—though incidents here occur at varied times rather than concentrating in one window, meaning this overnight crash fits a broader pattern of crashes at all hours.
If you're heading northbound on I-45 in the coming hours and need to avoid this corridor, the Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive are available as alternates. Clear skies and 81-degree temperatures prevailed at the time of the incident, so weather was not a factor.
The road should reopen once crews finish their investigation and clear debris. Check real-time traffic updates before heading out if you use this route regularly—this corridor sees enough volume that even overnight incidents can cause delays for early commuters and delivery traffic.
IH-45 North Northbound at IH-10 East/ Milam
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.