Worst traffic jams in the nation
There are some cities that are famous for having horrible traffic, for having massive crowding, and general congestion, but other cities have landed on the Top 10 worst traffic cities that are more surprising. Los Angeles tops the list after falling behind Honolulu in the previous year, which INRIX says in their Traffic Scorecard Annual Report is in part to the area gaining 90,000 jobs in February 2013, the fastest annual growth since the recession began.
The company reports that congestion fell nationally for two years, rising again in 2013. In the first quarter of 2013, congestion is up 4.0 percent compared to 2012 which INIX says is a sign of an improving economy.
“Fears over recurring fiscal deadlines and ongoing debt issues last year likely fueled declines in traffic congestion, with businesses and consumers alike taking a ‘wait and see’ approach,” said Bryan Mistele, INRIX president and chief executive officer. “While bad news for drivers, the gains we’ve seen in the U.S. and a few countries in Europe in 2013 are cause for some optimism about the direction of the economy.”
10 worst traffic cities
Most congested freeways in America
- The Cross Bronx Expy (New York: I-95 SB) – Drivers on New York’s worst highway waste over six days each year in traffic.
- The San Diego Fwy (L.A.: I-405 SB) – Consistently jammed in both directions, the 405 is LA’s worst freeway; the 8.1-mile stretch leading to Mullholland Dr. takes drivers over 50 minutes on Tuesday mornings – the worst day and time of the week.
- The Van Wyck Expy (New York: I-678 SB) – On Thursdays between 4-5 p.m., drivers crawl at 10 mph, and it takes nearly 40 minutes to travel 6 miles.
- The Santa Monica Fwy (L.A.: I-10 EB) – It can take drivers up to over an hour (63 min) to navigate the 15-mile stretch from Lincoln Blvd. to Alameda.
- The Riverside Fwy (L.A.: CA-91 EB) – Drivers waste approximately six days per year in gridlock on this road.
- The Long Island Expy (New York: I-495 EB) – New Yorkers waste more than a half hour per day on the evening commute in traffic on the L.I.E.
- Brooklyn Queens Expy (New York: I-278 WB) – It takes approximately an hour to go 10 miles on this highway during the Tuesday evening commute.
- San Diego Fwy (L.A.: I-405 NB) –A 13-mile stretch up to Getty Center Drive takes 40 minutes at a crawl of 20 mph.
- The Dan Ryan/Kennedy Expy (Chicago: I-90/I-94 WB) – Chicago commuters waste approximately one work week (5 days) every year in traffic on this popular road to O’Hare Airport.
- The Santa Ana/Golden St. Fwy (L.A. I-5 SB) – An 18-minute trip on this 17-mile stretch takes almost 50 minutes on weekday afternoons
Additionally, the Scorecard uncovered several other interesting trends regarding national commute times during rush hour. According to INRIX, the worst times to be on the roads in terms of delay are weekday mornings between 7-8 a.m. and weekday evenings between 4-5 p.m. The busiest morning commute hour is Tuesday from 8-9 a.m., and the busiest evening commute takes place on Friday from 5-6 p.m.
