A crash shut down the center lane of I-45 North northbound at SH-249 and Mount Houston Road at 12:50 PM on Thursday, October 29, 2026. Responding officers verified the lane closure at that time.
The incident occurred during an unusual traffic window for this corridor. According to LTA data, most crashes at this location fall outside typical weekday commute peaks, though the 1–2 PM hour ranks as the busiest time here, with six crashes recorded over the past 90 days.
This stretch of I-45 northbound has been active. In the past 30 days alone, LTA has logged 16 major incidents at this location. Over 90 days, the count rises to 57 incidents, 49 of them major. Since January 2020, per TxDOT CRIS public crash records, 607 crashes have occurred within about a quarter-mile of this corridor, with 8 fatal.
Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 252 crashes at this location over the past six years.
If you're heading northbound through this area, consider the Hardy Toll Road, SH-249 northwest, or local routes via Airline Drive as alternates.
Update (2:20 PM CT): The major crash at IH-45 North Northbound at SH 249 at Mount Houston Road, first reported at 12:50 PM, has cleared after approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. All lanes have reopened and normal traffic flow has resumed in the area.
Sources: TxDOT Crash Records Information System and Local Traffic Accidents database. Counts through October 29, 2026.
IH-45 North Northbound at SH 249/ Mount Houston 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.