US-59 at SH-288 exit ramp major wreck; 37 incidents in 30 days

A major motor vehicle incident struck the exit 128B southbound US-59 ramp to SH-288 at 1:46 PM on Tuesday, September 15, creating afternoon delays in Harris County.

The wreck unfolded during what's typically a heavier-traffic window for this location. According to LTA data, the 2 to 3 PM hour is the single busiest time at this corridor, and today's crash hit right in that window. Crews were dispatched and worked to clear the scene and restore traffic flow.

This incident is the latest in a persistent pattern at this exit ramp. Over the past 30 days, LTA has recorded 37 incidents at exit 128B — 20 of them rated major severity. Over the past 90 days, the count climbs to 292 total incidents, with 242 classified as major. In the past 12 months alone, this location has seen 675 incidents, including 512 major events and 4 fatalities.

State crash records paint an additional picture. According to TxDOT CRIS public crash records, roughly 1,660 crashes have been documented within a quarter-mile of this location since January 2020. Contributing factors as recorded by the investigating officer, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 619 crashes at the corridor. Hit-and-run incidents account for 12.1 percent of the crashes recorded here — 429 of the 3,538 vehicle units involved in crashes at the location.

Conditions at the time of the incident were warm and partly cloudy, with broken clouds and a temperature of 96 degrees. While weather was not severe, the frequency of speed-related crashes at this exit ramp underscores the challenge drivers face navigating this transition.

In Harris County overall during the past 30 days, 15,306 incidents were recorded county-wide, with 17 of those fatal. This single exit ramp accounts for a notable share of that activity.

Drivers approaching the exit 128B area on southbound US-59 should expect residual delays as crews complete their work and traffic returns to normal flow.