A major crash brought southbound traffic to a crawl on Interstate 45 near FM 3083 and Teas Nursery at 6:58 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2026. The incident, reported by TranStar, created significant delays across this critical stretch of the highway during the evening commute period.
Drivers heading south on IH-45 encountered extended backup as crews worked to clear the roadway. The timing couldn't have been worse for weekend travelers trying to navigate the corridor heading toward the Texas Medical Center and South Houston. Those affected should consider taking FM 1960 east to connect with US-59 southbound, or routing through local surface streets like Kuykendahl Road as temporary alternatives. The Sam Houston Tollway also provides a viable bypass for drivers willing to pay tolls to avoid the congestion.
This section of IH-45 near Teas Nursery has long served as a major bottleneck, particularly where the highway transitions between Montgomery and Harris counties. The interchange sits near several commercial developments and feeds traffic toward The Woodlands, making it one of the busiest segments in the greater Houston metro area. Weekend evenings typically see a steady flow of return traffic from regional shopping and entertainment destinations.
The southbound lanes absorbed the primary impact of the crash. While TranStar reported the incident at 6:58 p.m., recovery operations extended well into the evening hours. Drivers in the area reported significant delays and heavy congestion backing up toward IH-45 North and local arterial roads. Anyone traveling through this corridor Saturday night needed to allow extra time and monitor traffic conditions closely before heading out.
The 30 days preceding this crash saw 47 crashes at this same location.
In the period since this crash, 853 additional incidents have occurred here. Major crashes made up 594 of the subsequent incidents. 1 of those crashes was fatal.
The rate of incidents has risen in the period since this crash.
A cluster of those crashes happened within roughly two weeks.
That places this location among the highest-incident segments in the county.
Reflecting incident data through May 31, 2026.
IH-45 Southbound at FM 3083/Teas Nursery in Montgomery County
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.