A major crash on IH-69 Eastex southbound at St. Joseph brought traffic to a standstill Friday morning at 11:35 AM on February 20, 2026. The incident, reported by TranStar, created significant congestion during the tail end of the mid-morning commute period in Harris County.
The timing of this crash couldn't be worse for southbound drivers heading toward the Galleria area and points beyond. Expect delays extending well into the early afternoon as crews work the scene. Drivers should consider taking East Houston Tollway or surface streets like Irvington, Lockwood, or Jensen Drive to bypass the backup. Those heading toward downtown might find the US-59 feeder roads or Navigation Boulevard less congested alternatives, though those routes will likely see increased volume from diverted traffic.
IH-69 Eastex at St. Joseph sits in an increasingly busy corridor as development continues pushing northeast. The area handles significant commercial traffic heading to and from the Port of Houston, in addition to regular commuter flow. This particular stretch has seen growing congestion over the past few years as the neighborhood around Greens Bayou develops. Major intersections and crossroads in the vicinity include I-10 to the south and numerous commercial areas that depend on this route for daily operations.
The crash occurred on the southbound side of IH-69 Eastex. As of the morning incident report, traffic remained heavily impacted with no immediate indication the roadway had fully reopened. Drivers should plan for extended commute times and remain alert for emergency vehicles and debris as crews clear the accident.
For anyone traveling this corridor Friday afternoon, allow extra time and monitor traffic apps for real-time updates on reopening status.
Sources: TxDOT Crash Records Information System and Local Traffic Accidents database. Counts through October 1, 2026.
This wasn't the first crash at the location — 119 had been recorded in the previous 30 days.
1513 more crashes at this location followed this incident. 769 of those were classified as major. 18 of the subsequent crashes resulted in a fatality.
The rate has held at a comparable level after this incident.
Multiple crashes piled up over consecutive days.
Adding those counts together places this location in the upper tier of county crash counts.
Counts run through October 07, 2026.
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.