A major crash on I-45 southbound at Rayford Road brought traffic to a standstill Wednesday morning. The wreck happened at 5:27 AM, closing multiple lanes and backing up vehicles for miles during the pre-dawn commute.
Emergency crews responded quickly, but the incident tied up the southbound side significantly. If you're heading south out of the northern suburbs into Harris County, expect major delays or plan to take an alternate route.
Your best bets right now: Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive. Any of those will get you around the backup while crews clear the crash scene and reopen lanes.
I-45 at Rayford is a major chokepoint during morning commutes, and crashes here have real ripple effects across the region. According to LTA data, this stretch sees consistent incident activity—crashes are the most common incident type over the past 90 days.
Stay alert if you're using the alternates. Hardy Toll will be busier than usual. SH-249 northbound to westbound is your best bet if you're coming from the far north side. Airline Drive works if you're closer to town and can cut through local streets.
We'll update you as lanes reopen and traffic flow improves. Check back for clearance time.
IH-45 Southbound at Rayford Rd/Sawdust Rd
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.