A significant vehicle collision brought northbound traffic to a standstill on Interstate 45 near Exit 43B in Harris County Monday morning at 9:54 AM on February 23, 2026. The crash occurred during the peak of the morning commute, creating immediate backup along one of Houston's busiest corridors and affecting thousands of drivers heading toward downtown and points north.
The timing couldn't be worse for commuters. I-45 North between Exit 43B and the surrounding area typically carries heavy volume between 9 and 10 AM as downtown workers arrive and commercial traffic moves through the region. Drivers heading north should consider taking the Eastex Freeway (US 59 North) as a primary alternate, or surface streets through the Greens area if they're looking to bypass the affected stretch entirely. Those with flexibility might also use Hardy Toll Road or Hardy Street to the east, which can feed back to I-45 farther north past the incident zone.
This particular stretch of I-45 North near Exit 43B has seen its share of incidents over the years. The area sits just north of downtown and feeds directly into the interchange serving major employers and the I-45/I-610 loop. The exit itself connects to surface streets that lead toward neighborhoods including the Greens and Northside areas. Under normal conditions, this corridor moves relatively smoothly, but any disruption here cascades quickly across the entire northern freeway network.
The northbound direction bore the brunt of the impact Monday morning. While cleanup operations worked to clear the roadway, backup extended well south of the crash location, affecting commuters on feeder roads and creating delays that rippled throughout the morning rush period. Drivers on northbound I-45 should expect significantly longer travel times through at least mid-morning as crews work to fully clear the scene and restore normal traffic flow. Anyone traveling through this corridor should plan for additional time and consider those alternate routes until the situation clears completely.
The 30 days preceding this crash saw 21 crashes at this same location.
Since this crash, 90 additional collisions have happened at the same location. 37 of the more recent crashes were major.
Crashes at this location have arrived at a similar pace since.
A burst of crashes followed within a compressed period.
The full count places this location among the top crash sites in the county.
Data through May 29, 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.