America's 25 Worst Highway Bottlenecks, 2012
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Each year, the Daily Beast compiles a list of the country's worst bottlenecks using data supplied by INRIX, a traffic tracking and analyzing company. Their Traffic Index collects data from 100 million vehicles to score the amount of extra time it takes to drive through a particular stretch of highway during rush hour. Consult the table below to find out what freeways to avoid when you hit the road.
Rank | City | Freeway | Worst corridor | Length of worst corridor | Extra time during rush hour | Worst travel hour |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Los Angeles | Harbor Freeway/CA-100 northbound | I-10/Santa Monica Freeway to Stadium Way/Exit 24C | 3.1 miles | 8 minutes | Tuesday, 6–7 P.M. |
2. | New York City | Van Wyck Expressway/I-678 northbound | Belt Parkway/Exit 1 to Maine Street/Exit 8 | 3.1miles | 10 minutes | Monday, 8–9 A.M. |
3. | San Francisco | California Delta Highway/CA-4 westbound | Hillcrest Avenue to Somersville Road | 2.9 miles | 6 minutes | Tuesday, 6–7 A.M. |
4. | Chicago | Stevenson Expressway/I-55 southbound | State Street/Exit 293C to Pulaski Road/Exit 287 | 5.7 miles | 10 minutes | Thursday, 4–5 P.M. |
5. | Dallas-Ft. Worth | Loop 820/I-820 westbound | TX-26/Grapevine Highway to US-377/Denton Highway/Exit 19 | 3.1 miles | 6 minutes | Friday, 5–6 P.M. |
6. | Houston | US-59 northbound | Buffalo Speedway to I-45 | 4.8 miles | 7 minutes | Friday, 5–6 P.M. |
7. | Seattle | I-405 southbound | WA-520/NE 14th Street/Exit 14 to SE Coal Creek Parkway/Exit10 | 4.5 miles | 7 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
8. | Washington, D.C. | Capital Beltway/I-495 outer loop | US-1/Baltimore Avenue/Exit 25 to MD-97/Georgia Avenue/Exit 31 | 6.3 miles | 8 minutes | Wednesday, 8–9 A.M. |
9. | Boston | Southeast Expressway/I-93 southbound | I-90 to Freeport Street/Exit 13 | 3.7 miles | 6 minutes | Friday, 4–5 P.M. |
10. | Pittsburgh | Penn Lincoln Parkway/I-376 eastbound | Lydia Street/Exit 2 to US-19/PA-51/Exit 5 | 3.4 miles | 9 minutes | Wednesday, 8–9 A.M. |
11. | Austin, Texas | 1-35 southbound | US-183/Exit 239-240 to Woodland Avenue | 6.7 miles | 10 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
12. | Miami | Dolphin Expressway/SR 836 westbound | I-95 to FL-959/Red Road | 5.5 miles | 11 minutes | Friday, 5–6 P.M. |
13. | San Diego | CA-78 eastbound | Rancho Santa Fe Road to Mission Road | 4.2 miles | 5 minutes | Wednesday, 5–6 P.M. |
14. | Honolulu | Lunalilo Freeway/I-1 eastbound | HI-92 to S. Vineyard Boulevard/Ward Avenue | 3.9 miles | 9 minutes | Wednesday, 5–6 P.M. |
15. | Minneapolis-St. Paul | I-494 eastbound | US-212/Prairie Center Drive/Exit 1 to CR-32/Penn Ave/Exit 6 | 5.7 miles | 6 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
16. | Philadelphia | Delaware Expressway/I-95 southbound | Academy Road/Exit 32 to Girard Avenue/Exit 23 | 8.3 miles | 7 minutes | Tuesday, 8–9 A.M. |
17. | New Orleans | I-10 westbound | Causeway Boulevard/Exit 228 to End Boulevard/Florida Boulevard | 5 miles | 5 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
18. | Baltimore | Baltimore Beltway inner loop/I-695 northbound | US-1/Southwestern Boulevard/Exit 12 to Security Boulevard/Exit 17 | 5.3 miles | 4 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
19. | Atlanta | GA-400/US-19 southbound | CA-120/Old Milton Parkway/Exit to GA-140/Holcomb Bridge Road/Exit 7 | 4.7 miles | 4 minutes | Tuesday, 8–9 A.M. |
20. | Bridgeport, Conn. | Connecticut Turnpike/I-95 northbound | Field Point Road to Mill Plain Road/Exit 21 | 22.2 miles | 12 minutes | Friday, 5–6 P.M. |
21. | Phoenix | Papago Freeway/I-10 westbound | AZ-51/AZ-202/Exit 147 to 35th Avenue/Exit 141 | 6.2 miles | 4 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
22. | Sacramento, Calif. | S. Sacramento Freeway/CA-99 southbound | 12th Avenue to Mack Road/Bruceville Road | 5.4 miles | 4 minutes | Wednesday, 5–6 P.M. |
23. | San Jose | Bayshore Freeway/US-101 southbound | Fair Oaks Avenue to De La Cruz Boulevard | 4.2 miles | 5 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
24. | Baton Rouge, La. | I-12 eastbound | Essen Lane to O'Neal Lane | 5.8 miles | 6 minutes | Thursday, 5–6 P.M. |
25. | Riverside, Calif. | Riverside Freeway/CA-91 westbound | McKinley Street to Auto Center Drive/Serfas Club Drive | 5.6 miles | 6 minutes | Monday, 6–7 A.M. |
Source: The Daily Beast, INRIX.
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