A major crash on IH-610 North Loop westbound at US-290 Northwest brought traffic to a standstill Friday morning, February 20, 2026, at 4:11 AM. The incident occurred during the pre-dawn hours when commuters typically have a clear shot into downtown Houston and surrounding employment centers. TranStar confirmed the severe crash in Harris County, creating significant delays for drivers headed west toward areas like Jersey Village and the northwest corridor.
The impact rippled across the entire North Loop corridor during the critical early-morning push. Westbound traffic backed up well past the US-290 interchange, with delays extending toward the Chimney Rock area. Drivers facing major delays should consider shifting eastbound to US-290 itself, which offers an alternate path to Loop 8 or the Katy Freeway. Taking Bellway 8 north to I-10 West represents another viable option for those flexible on routing. Local surface streets like 34th Street and Long Point Road also serve drivers looking to bypass the affected interchange entirely, though these routes move considerably slower.
IH-610 North Loop at US-290 has long been a challenging convergence point for Houston traffic. The interchange itself represents one of the busier junctions in the northwest portion of the metro area, funneling traffic between Loop and the US-290 corridor that connects to Hockley, Waller County, and points north. Morning rush hour typically sees substantial volume here as workers head downtown or to the Uptown office parks. This particular stretch sees heavy truck traffic headed to the Port of Houston facilities and industrial areas along the ship channel.
The westbound direction bore the brunt of the crash and its aftermath. As of Friday morning, emergency crews remained on scene managing the incident. Drivers heading west should anticipate substantial delays persisting through the morning commute window and should plan additional travel time. Expect spillover congestion to back onto the eastbound North Loop approach as well, as traffic management at the scene affects overall throughput.
The location's 30-day count stood at 32 before this incident.
99 more crashes have been documented at this location since this incident. 57 of the more recent crashes were major.
Incidents have continued at a comparable pace after this crash.
Multiple crashes piled up over consecutive days.
That places this location among the highest-incident segments in the county.
Updated through May 29, 2026.
IH-610 North Loop Westbound at US-290 Northwest
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.