Yahoo Autos The 15 Most Congested Highways in America
The Interstate Highway System will likely be the most significant and expensive single infrastructure project ever undertaken by the federal government of the United States. The Apollo program, NASA’s manned expeditions to the Moon, cost around $300 billion when adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars. With the same adjustment to 2023 dollars, the 48,750-mile highway network cost over $600 billion to construct.
The country’s interstate highways are also the backbone of the nation’s economy. According to the Federal Highway Administration, almost 90 percent of freight dollars transported are over the nation’s highways. Freight’s dependence on highways also means that trucks are a major contributor to congestion, especially in urban areas. Those same trucks are also able to measure how slow traffic is on the roads they use.
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The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has collected GPS data from freight trucks since 2002. With the collected data, the ATRI is able to measure the average speed on every highway in the country during peak and non-peak hours. Every year, the organization ranks every highway by its level of congestion. Here are the 15 most congested highways in the country.
15. Cincinnati, OH: I-71 at I-75
Average Speed: 47.2 mph
Peak Average Speed: 43.0 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 48.8 mph
The top 15 (or bottom 15, depending on your perspective) begins near the riverfront in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Interstate 71 passes the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ball Park and Cincinnati Bengal’s Paycor Stadium before intersecting with Interstate 75.
14. Atlanta, GA: I-285 at SR 400
Average Speed: 40.7 mph
Peak Average Speed: 33.6 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 43.7 mph
Interstate 285, also known as the Perimeter, completely encircles Atlanta, Georgia. The highway is infamously one of the worst in the country, and this won’t be the last time it will be mentioned on this list. One awful spot is where it intersects with State Route 400 in Sandy Springs. The interchange is near the Perimeter Mall and multiple hospitals.
13. McDonough, GA: I-75
Average Speed: 47.0 mph
Peak Average Speed: 42.8 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 48.7 mph
McDonough might be a fraction of the size of most major American cities, but it sits on Interstate 75 between Atlanta and Macon, Georgia, 28 miles southeast of the state’s capital.
12. Chicago, IL: I-80 at I-94
Average Speed: 47.1 mph
Peak Average Speed: 44.8 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 48.0 mph
This interchange sits about 30 miles south of Chicago’s center but serves as a vital hinge point for traffic rounding Lake Michigan from Michigan or Ohio to Wisconsin, Minnesota or Chicago proper.
11. Houston, TX: I-10 at I-45
Average Speed: 39.2 mph
Peak Average Speed: 27.7 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 45.2 mph
The Katy Freeway, or Interstate 10, is 26 lanes across at its widest point, the widest highway in the United States. This interchange is where the Katy Freeway reaches the center of Houston after funneling down to 10 lanes.
10. San Bernardino, CA: I-10 at I-15
Average Speed: 41.7 mph
Peak Average Speed: 34.1 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 44.7 mph
This is the first of three Los Angeles area interchanges that made the top 15 spots. Yes, Los Angeles is that awful to drive in during rush hour.
9. Nashville, TN: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)
Average Speed: 41.4 mph
Peak Average Speed: 30.6 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 46.2 mph
Southeast of downtown Nashville sits a confluence of several of the region’s major highways near a massive CSX freight railyard. It’s not a surprise that this chokepoint is made the list.
8. Los Angeles, CA: I-710 at I-105
Average Speed: 37.9 mph
Peak Average Speed: 28.5 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 42.8 mph
The city of freeways is checking in once again with an interchange on the Long Beach Freeway, which runs parallel to the Los Angeles River.
7. Los Angeles, CA: SR 60 at SR 57
Average Speed: 42.6 mph
Peak Average Speed: 35.7 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 45.2 mph
Los Angeles’ third and final entry on the list is California State Route 60, an artery primarily connecting the Inland Empire with Anaheim and Orange County.
6. Chicago, IL: I-290 at I-90/I-94
Average Speed: 23.5 mph
Peak Average Speed: 18.2 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 25.3 mph
Interstate 290, officially known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway, serves as Chicago’s most important road link with its far western suburbs and beyond.
5. Atlanta, GA: I-20 at I-285 (West)
Average Speed: 41.6 mph
Peak Average Speed: 36.3 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 43.8 mph
The Perimeter is back on the list for its interchange with Interstate 20, which links Atlanta with Birmingham, Alabama.
4. Atlanta, GA: I-285 at I-85 (North)
Average Speed: 38.1 mph
Peak Average Speed: 28.5 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 42.4 mph
The Perimeter finishes off its hattrick in the top 15 with its interchange with Interstate 85, which links Atlanta with Charlotte, North Carolina. I think Atlanta has Los Angeles beat for the worst traffic city in the country.
3. Houston, TX: I-45 at I-69/US 59
Average Speed: 31.1 mph
Peak Average Speed: 21.7 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 35.8 mph
The interchange sitting on downtown Houston’s southern corner is the city’s worst. Located near the Houston Rockets’ Toyota Center, the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park and the George R. Brown Convention Center, the intersection of freeways sees an extraordinary amount of traffic.
2. Chicago, IL: I-294 at I-290/I-88
Average Speed: 45.2 mph
Peak Average Speed: 37.8 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 48.3 mph
The three-way interchange just south of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the world’s fourth-busiest airport, is a magnet for vehicles and is also a trouble spot for traffic as a result.
1. Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4
Average Speed: 26.8 mph
Peak Average Speed: 20.2 mph
Non-Peak Average Speed: 29.5 mph
Undoubtedly, the New Jersey approach to the George Washington Bridge is the most congested stretch of highway in the United States. Over 100 million vehicles cross the bridge spanning the Hudson River between Fort Lee, New Jersey and New York City.
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