Quick answer
Residents said their cameras captured at least seven crashes in one week at McGowen and Chartres streets near the I-69 North entrance ramp. A one-year search of TxDOT crash records identified 24 reported crashes at the intersection, including nine in June 2026.
Seven crashes in one week at a single Houston intersection should not be dismissed as bad luck.
Security cameras captured the collisions at McGowen and Chartres streets in June 2026. Residents believed drivers approaching the I-69 North entrance ramp were failing to see the red light. One day after FOX 26 reported their concerns, officials installed a temporary traffic signal while permanent repairs were underway.
We examined the underlying crash records and compared them with state and Harris County work-zone data to determine if construction zones were part of the reason so many crashes ocurred in such a short period of time.
On This Page
- Background: 7 Crashes in One Week
- TxDOT records identify 24 crashes in one year
- How the intersection is connected to the I-45 project
- Harris County had fewer work-zone crashes but more deaths
- Traffic controls need to be reviewed as construction changes
- Who could be responsible for a construction-corridor crash
- What to do after a crash near I-45 construction
- Frequently asked questions
- Talk to a Houston car accident lawyer
Background: 7 Crashes in One Week
Residents told FOX 26 that their security cameras captured at least seven crashes at McGowen and Chartres during one week in June 2026. Three reportedly occurred within 24 hours.
Many of the collisions appeared to involve drivers traveling northeast on Chartres toward the I-69 North ramp. The residents believed some motorists were not seeing the red light. On July 2, one day after the first report aired, officials installed a temporary signal while permanent repairs were underway.
TxDOT records identify 24 crashes in one year
A manual search of the Texas Crash Records Information System, or CRIS, identified 24 reported crashes at the coordinates associated with McGowen and Chartres during a one-year period.
Nine occurred in June 2026. Eight were recorded from June 21 through June 30, including two separate crashes on June 28.
| Period | Recorded crashes |
|---|---|
| Entire one-year search period | 24 |
| January through July 2026 | 22 |
| June 2026 | 9 |
| June 21–30, 2026 | 8 |
| June 24–30, 2026 | 6 |
June accounted for more than one-third of all crashes returned by a one-year search.
Note: The six CRIS records dated June 24 through June 30 do not disprove the residents’ report of at least seven crashes in one week. The sources use different methods and may cover slightly different dates. Security cameras can also capture collisions that do not appear in crash records.
Intersection crash data source: TxDOT CRIS manual data request for records associated with the latitude and longitude of McGowen and Chartres streets during a one-year search period.
How the intersection is connected to the I-45 project
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project is commonly called the I-45 expansion, but the work near McGowen and Chartres is part of the project’s downtown segment.
TxDOT says Segment 3 covers the reconstruction of the downtown freeway loop, including portions of I-45, I-69, I-10 and State Highway 288. Segment 3B-2 includes the reconstruction and widening of I-69 from SH 288 to I-45. Nearby work also includes drainage and street construction along St. Emanuel Street and the demolition and reconstruction of the Alabama Street bridge.
After the crashs were reported, Houston City Council District D said McGowen and Chartres was within an active construction corridor connected to TxDOT’s Segment 3B-2 project. The council office identified detours, temporary lane configurations, signs, signal visibility and other traffic controls as issues for TxDOT and the project team to review.
That connection does not make TxDOT or a contractor responsible for every crash at the intersection. Drivers still have a duty to obey traffic signals, control their speed and pay attention. A claim against another party requires evidence that a specific roadway or traffic-control condition contributed to the collision.
Harris County had fewer work-zone crashes but more deaths
The intersection records are local, but the safety problem is not.
According to TxDOT’s finalized 2024 and 2025 reports, Texas recorded 28,089 work-zone crashes in 2025. Those crashes killed 203 people and caused 774 suspected serious injuries. Most people killed in Texas work-zone crashes are drivers or passengers, not road workers.
TxDOT also identifies rear-end collisions as the most common type of work-zone crash.
| Area and year | Total crashes | Fatal crashes | Deaths | Suspected serious injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas, 2024 | 27,971 | 194 | 217 | 823 |
| Texas, 2025 | 28,089 | 188 | 203 | 774 |
| Harris County, 2024 | 1,674 | 8 | 10 | 51 |
| Harris County, 2025 | 1,525 | 14 | 14 | 21 |
Harris County’s total fell by almost 9% from 2024 to 2025. Fatal crashes rose from eight to 14, and deaths increased from 10 to 14.
A small number of fatal crashes can produce a large percentage change. The countywide figures also do not identify the NHHIP or establish that construction activity caused each crash.
Still, fewer crashes overall do not mean work-zone safety is improving where it matters most. Harris County recorded 149 fewer work-zone crashes in 2025 and four more deaths.
Traffic controls need to be reviewed as construction changes
Construction changes roads that drivers may have used for years. It can move a signal out of the expected line of sight, shift lanes, add unfamiliar turns, narrow shoulders or send more vehicles onto nearby streets.
A traffic-control plan that worked at the start of a project may stop working after crews move barriers, close another street or change a detour. Repeated complaints and a crash cluster are real-world evidence that the plan needs another look.
That review should ask:
- Can drivers see temporary signals from every approach?
- Do signs give drivers enough time to understand a lane shift?
- Are pavement markings visible at night and in rain?
- Do old markings create a conflicting path?
- Do barriers, equipment or signs block another traffic-control device?
- Do traffic queues extend beyond the advance-warning area?
- Do pedestrians and cyclists have a safe, understandable route?
- Can construction vehicles enter and leave without creating an unexpected conflict?
The Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices establishes standards for signs, pavement markings, signals and other traffic-control devices. An approved plan is only the beginning. The devices still have to be installed correctly, maintained and adjusted when conditions change.
Who could be responsible for a construction-corridor crash
Responsibility depends on what caused the crash and who controlled the condition involved. The location alone does not answer either question.
- A driver may be responsible for running a red light, following too closely, speeding or driving while distracted. If the driver was working at the time, an employer or motor carrier may also be responsible.
- A contractor or subcontractor may need to be investigated when temporary signs, barriers, signals or pavement markings were installed or maintained improperly. The evidence has to show what the company controlled, what the traffic-control plan required and how the condition contributed to the crash.
- A government entity may be involved in limited circumstances. Governmental immunity restricts these claims, and special notice rules can apply. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 101.101 generally requires notice to a government unit within six months, subject to actual-notice rules and other provisions. A city charter may impose additional requirements.
The right questions are specific: Who controlled the signal? Who knew the overhead equipment had been damaged? What complaints were received? What inspections were performed? What changed after officials installed the temporary light?
Those answers come from crash reports, photographs, video, traffic-control plans, inspection records, complaints, maintenance records and contracts. They do not come from the construction-zone label alone.
What to do after a crash near I-45 construction
- Get out of moving traffic if you can do so safely. Call 911 when anyone may be hurt or the vehicles create a roadway hazard.
- Photograph more than the vehicle damage. Record signals, signs, lane markings, barriers, lighting and the direction from which each driver approached.
- Save video before it is overwritten. Preserve dashcam footage and ask nearby homes or businesses whether their cameras captured the crash.
- Get medical care. Tell the medical provider what happened and report every symptom accurately.
- Write down what you saw. Construction layouts change. Record any obstructed signal, confusing marking, missing sign or unexpected lane movement while the details are fresh.
- Act quickly if a roadway condition was involved. Contractors and agencies may hold different pieces of the record, government notice periods may be short, and the physical scene can change before the claim is investigated.
Our article on dangerous roadway conditions explains why evidence beyond the police report can matter when a signal, detour or construction layout contributed to a crash.
Frequently asked questions
Were all 24 McGowen and Chartres crashes caused by construction?
No. The CRIS results identify crash records and dates associated with the intersection’s coordinates. They do not establish what caused each collision or show that every crash was coded as work-zone related. Each incident would need to be reviewed separately.
Why does CRIS show six crashes during the final week of June when residents reported at least seven?
The sources use different collection methods and may not cover the exact same dates. Residents counted incidents captured by their cameras. The CRIS search returned police crash records associated with the intersection’s coordinates. A collision seen on camera may not appear in those records.
Is all of I-45 North already under NHHIP construction?
No. The work discussed here is in Segment 3 near downtown, EaDo, I-69 and SH 288. Calling the NHHIP the “I-45 expansion” can make the project sound as though construction is happening along the entire North Freeway. It is not.
Can a contractor be responsible for a crash?
Yes, if the evidence shows the contractor created or failed to correct an unsafe condition within its control and that condition contributed to the crash. The traffic-control plan, contracts, inspection records, photographs and video can help answer that question.
How soon should someone act if TxDOT or the city may be involved?
Immediately. Government-related claims can involve notice periods measured in months, not years. Signals can be repaired, barriers can move and project records can be divided among several agencies and contractors. A lawyer should determine which deadlines apply to the specific facts and government unit.
Talk to a Houston car accident lawyer
Evidence in work-zone crashes disappears fast. Traffic patterns change, damaged equipment gets repaired and the records that explain who controlled the intersection may be held by several organizations. Our Houston car accident lawyers can investigate the crash, identify the drivers, contractors and agencies that may be responsible, and seek the records needed to show what happened. If a collision was fatal, we can also evaluate a wrongful death claim.
The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian have served the Houston community since 2004. Hilda Sibrian serves the Houston metropolitan area, including Sugar Land, Missouri City, La Porte, Beaumont, Pasadena, The Woodlands, The Heights, Bellaire, Kingwood, Baytown and of course Houston proper. While our firm does not handle social media addiction cases, we do serve those injured in auto, commercial, industrial and workplace accidents.
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