A major crash brought traffic to a crawl on the northbound lanes of the Grand Parkway at Hardy Toll Road just before 10 a.m. Friday, February 20, 2026, according to TranStar traffic data. The incident occurred during the tail end of the morning commute, creating significant backups across this critical stretch of Harris County roadway.
Drivers heading north on SH-99 faced lengthy delays as the crash tied up multiple lanes during peak traffic hours. Commuters looking to bypass the congestion had several options: taking I-45 north toward The Woodlands or routing through local streets in the Spring area. The westbound Hardy Toll Road connection also experienced spillover congestion as drivers attempted to find alternate routes. Anyone headed to the northern suburbs or commercial corridors along the Grand Parkway faced substantial travel time increases during the incident.
This stretch of the Grand Parkway at Hardy has become increasingly vital as development continues along the northern Harris County corridor. The interchange serves as a major gateway for traffic moving between the Hardy Toll Road and SH-99, funneling thousands of commuters daily toward Spring, The Woodlands, and beyond. The area has seen considerable growth in recent years, with new residential and commercial development putting added pressure on this already-busy junction.
The northbound direction of SH-99 bore the brunt of the impact. TranStar had the incident logged as ongoing through the late morning hours, with recovery crews working to clear the roadway. Drivers in the area encountered heavy congestion well beyond the crash site itself, with backup extending several miles as traffic filtered through the remaining open lanes. Those planning Friday afternoon travel through this corridor were advised to allow extra time for their trips.
Sources: TxDOT Crash Records Information System and Local Traffic Accidents database. Counts through October 1, 2026.
Before this crash, the location had recorded 16 other incidents in 30 days.
285 additional crashes have been logged at the location in the weeks since. Of the crashes since, 225 were classified as major. A fatal crash occurred among the follow-on incidents.
The location has seen fewer crashes per week since this incident.
Several of the incidents hit within days of one another.
Combined, those numbers put the location among the most active in the county.
Last incident at this location recorded October 06, 2026.
SH-99 Lanier/Grand Pkwy - North Westbound at Hardy Toll 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.