Jackknifed 18-wheeler blocks IH-610 North Loop eastbound at Gellhorn after fuel spill

Houston commuters faced heavy morning delays after a three-vehicle crash that left a jackknifed 18-wheeler blocking I-610 North Loop eastbound at Gellhorn. Houston TranStar data cited by ABC13 shows the crash happened at about 8:12 a.m. and involved an 18-wheeler; ABC13 reported the incident was cleared at about 10:45 a.m.

HCSO Roadway Management and first responders directed traffic at the scene while crews worked to contain a visible fuel spill. As one dispatch put it, “HCSO Roadway Management and first responders are on scene managing traffic.” ABC13’s SkyEye coverage captured what appeared to be the cab of a tractor removed and being loaded onto a flatbed as cleanup continued.

ABC13 reporters described the spill as significant enough that “some sort of fuel could be seen blocking several lanes.” At the peak of the response, ABC13 said “at one point, only one left shoulder lane was getting by, but all lanes have since been reopened,” a sequence that matched updates on traffic feeds and social posts from motorists on nearby surface streets.

Motorists attempting to detour experienced mixed information in real time. A Facebook post urged drivers that a “… jackknifed 18- wheeler approaching Collins going eastbound has the entire freeway shut down. Take I-20 or the side streets to get around it.” Traffic alert feeds also posted an update indicating “the crash has been cleared” after lanes were reopened, echoing ABC13’s clearance time.

Local broadcasters differed on a few specifics that remain unconfirmed in available reporting. Click2Houston headlines included an item saying an 18-wheeler “carrying bulldozer truck hits concrete median” and caused a fuel spill, a detail not independently corroborated in ABC13’s on-scene reporting. Cw39 cited Houston TranStar but used phrasing that a crash was “on 610 eastbound heading south at Gellhorn,” an internal directional inconsistency on the loop roadway. Those points require agency confirmation before being treated as established facts.

By midmorning, crews had removed the tractor cab and worked to clear fuel and debris, allowing traffic flow to resume on the North Loop. ABC13’s timeline and Houston traffic alerts marked the incident cleared and lanes reopened by roughly 10:45 a.m. Officials have not released information in the available reports about any injuries, the cause of the crash, or the truck’s cargo.