All southbound lanes of State Highway 146 before McCabe Road in La Porte shut down around 5:13 a.m. Wednesday after a five-vehicle crash involving an 18-wheeler, with the big rig leaking an estimated 5 to 10 gallons of fuel onto the roadway. La Porte police and Harris County hazmat crews responded to the scene as officials urged drivers to steer clear of the area entirely.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, shared the traffic alert after it was first reported by Deputy Terry Garza. According to a post from HCSOTexas
, the crash happened on SH-146 southbound before McCabe Road and involved five vehicles total, including the 18-wheeler that spilled fuel across the highway. The sheriff's office advised drivers to avoid the area while crews worked the scene.
La Porte police were on location alongside Harris County hazmat teams, though it remains unclear how long the closure lasted or whether anyone was injured in the pileup. Under Texas Transportation Code §550.062, officers investigating any crash resulting in injury, death, or property damage of $1,000 or more must file a formal CR-3 report with the Texas Department of Transportation within 10 days.
A Corridor With a History of Big-Rig Trouble
A Corridor With a History of Big-Rig Trouble This is not the first time a rollover has snarled traffic on this stretch of SH-146. Just two months earlier, in August, an overturned 18-wheeler carrying a corrosive battery solution containing sulfuric acid crashed at the SH-225 flyover to SH-146, triggering a hazardous material spill and secondary multi-vehicle collisions, as Hoodline reported at the time. A FOX 26 report described an 18-wheeler crash and diesel leak near Port Road, with traffic diverting to the feeder or staying on the main lanes, according to FOX 26 Houston.
The recurring incidents reflect SH-146's role as a primary industrial freight corridor linking the Houston Ship Channel, regional petrochemical complexes, and Port Houston's Bayport Container Terminal, per La Porte, TX Traffic Cameras. SH-146 serves industrial freight traffic.
Construction Compounds the Congestion
KHOU reported an 8- to 12-month construction phase along SH-146 in La Porte, with several entrance and exit ramps closing as part of a project to widen the main lanes to three in each direction by 2028, as detailed by KHOU. TxDOT advised drivers to use alternate routes.
The congestion problem extends beyond La Porte. In August, TxDOT permanently closed the SH-146 westbound connector ramp to southbound Interstate 45 at the Texas City Wye as part of a $226 million Gulf Freeway widening project expected to run through 2030, the station reported.
Harris County recorded 6,313 commercial motor vehicle crashes in 2024, representing roughly 16% of the 39,393 commercial truck crashes reported statewide, according to data compiled by Texas Truck Accident Lawyer.
