I-45 southbound crash at Cullen exit ramp early Tuesday

A crash at the Cullen exit ramp on southbound I-45 sent one person to the hospital early Tuesday morning. Responding officers arrived at the scene around 1:43 AM to find the wreckage blocking lanes and hampering the initial flow of pre-dawn traffic through the Scott area.

The incident added to an already troubling tally at this location. According to LTA data, the I-45 southbound corridor at Cullen has seen 34 crashes in the past 30 days alone — 13 of them major incidents like this one. Over the past 90 days, the count rises to 151 total crashes, with 76 classified as major. Since January 2020, state crash records show 1,114 crashes within about a quarter-mile of this exact interchange.

Timing here varies. While the single busiest hour on this stretch is 4 to 5 PM, crashes occur throughout the day and night, as this early-morning incident demonstrates. Mondays have recorded the highest incident count over the past 90 days with 20 crashes, though Tuesday crashes are frequent enough that overnight incidents like this one are not unusual.

Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS public crash records, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 450 crashes at this location since 2020. The weather at the time — overcast skies and 82 degrees — did not present the wet-road hazard that complicates conditions during rain events, though speed-related crashes occur in clear weather as well.

Emergency responders cleared the scene and traffic resumed normal flow on the southbound direction. One person was transported for treatment; their condition was not immediately disclosed.

The corridor's volume of crashes — 34 in 30 days — places it well above typical high-traffic interchange counts. Readers who use this exit regularly have likely noticed the backup or incident alerts here more than once in recent weeks. The data speaks to the frequency of collisions at this particular merge and exit configuration.

Update (9:45 AM CT): The major crash at IH45OB-SCOTT 3572 S IH 45 FWY @ CULLEN EXIT RAMP, first reported at 1:43 AM, has cleared after more than 8 hours. All lanes have reopened and normal traffic flow has resumed in the area.