INRIX Identifies the Worst Traffic Hotspots in the 25 Most Congested U.S. Cities
KIRKLAND, Wash., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, INRIX published research on the worst traffic hotspots in America. Using INRIX Roadway Analytics, a cloud-based traffic analysis tool, INRIX analyzed and ranked more than 100,000 traffic hotspots in the 25 most congested U.S. cities. The economic cost of hotspots was also calculated in terms of wasted time, lost fuel and carbon emissions over the next decade.
"Many cities are calling for increased transportation infrastructure spending to fix ailing roads, bridges and transit networks," said Bob Pishue, Senior Economist, INRIX. "By identifying traffic hotspots and analyzing their root causes, cities can effectively combat congestion and maximize present and future investments."
Ranking America's Most Congested Cities
INRIX Roadway Analytics identified and ranked 108,000 traffic hotspots in the 25 most congested cities in the U.S identified by the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard. The ranking was determined by an "Impact Factor," which is based on the duration, length and frequency of traffic jams. The Impact Factor score enabled INRIX Research to estimate the economic costs at the road level and provided a metric to analyze the health of the transportation network within each city or metro area.
New York had more traffic hotspots (13,608) than any other city analyzed. However, Los Angeles topped the ranking with the highest overall Impact Factor, due to the severity as well as the high number of hotspots (10,385). This also means L.A. pays the highest price, with congestion at these locations potentially costing drivers $91 billion by 2026, if congestion doesn't improve.
The impact of L.A. hotspots, and the potential cost to drivers, was 42 percent higher than the second ranked city, New York, and three times higher than Washington D.C. (ranked third). Atlanta and Dallas round out the top five, with Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Miami and Boston making up the top 10. The economic cost to drivers due to wasted time, fuel and emissions in the 25 cities amounts to $481 billion by 2026. When extrapolated to a national level, traffic hotspots could total almost $2.2 trillion over the next decade.
Table 1: INRIX Roadway Analytics Traffic Hotspot Ranking - U.S. Cities
Rank U.S. City No. of Impact 2026 Cost of Worst Traffic Hotspot
Hotspots Factor Congestion
--- -------- ------ ----------
1 Los Angeles, CA 10,385 11,692,591 $90.9bn I-405 N at Exit 43 to Exit 21
--- --------------- ------ ---------- ------- -----------------------------
2 New York, NY 13,608 8,215,036 $63.9bn Brooklyn Queens Expy E at Exit 28A to W Shore Expy
--- ------------ ------ --------- ------- --------------------------------------------------
3 Washington D.C. 6,097 3,758,733 $29.2bn I-95 S at Exit 133A to Fairfax County Parkway
--- --------------- ----- --------- ------- ---------------------------------------------
4 Atlanta, GA 8,554 3,714,123 $28.9bn I-285 S at I-20 to Route 23
--- ----------- ----- --------- ------- ---------------------------
5 Dallas, TX 6,720 3,644,525 $28.3bn I-20 W at Exit 451 to Exit 466
--- ---------- ----- --------- ------- ------------------------------
6 Chicago, IL 7,719 3,631,591 $28.2bn I-90 W at 81A to Exit 56B
--- ----------- ----- --------- ------- -------------------------
7 San Francisco, CA 2,587 3,458,305 $26.9bn I-80 W at Emeryville to CA-4
--- ----------------- ----- --------- ------- ----------------------------
8 Houston, TX 4,417 3,058,004 $23.8bn I-45 S Exit 46A to Exit 63
--- ----------- ----- --------- ------- --------------------------
9 Miami, FL 6,596 2,449,631 $19.1bn I-95 N at Exit 12A to US-1
--- --------- ----- --------- ------- --------------------------
10 Boston, MA 4,158 2,429,229 $18.9bn Massachusetts Tpke E at Boston U Bridge to Oak St
--- ---------- ----- --------- ------- -------------------------------------------------
11 Seattle, WA 2,675 1,929,802 $15.0bn I-5 S at Pike St to 128th St/Exit 186
--- ----------- ----- --------- ------- -------------------------------------
12 Philadelphia, PA 6,232 1,896,048 $14.7bn Mid-County Expy S at E Rose Valley Rd to Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge
--- ---------------- ----- --------- ------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
13 San Diego, CA 1,936 1,602,278 $12.5bn I-15 N at Exit I-215 to Gopher Canyon Road
--- ------------- ----- --------- ------- ------------------------------------------
14 Denver, CO 2,258 1,226,504 $9.5bn US-36 W / I-270 at Exit 1 to Smith Rd
--- ---------- ----- --------- ------ -------------------------------------
15 Phoenix, AZ 3,441 1,220,561 $9.5bn I-10 W at Exit 138 to Exit 151
--- ----------- ----- --------- ------ ------------------------------
16 Portland, OR 2,365 1,154,218 $9.0bn US-26 E at I-405 to NW 185th Ave
--- ------------ ----- --------- ------ --------------------------------
17 Nashville, TN 2,602 1,081,459 $8.4bn I-24 W at Antioch Pike to Rocky Fork Rd
--- ------------- ----- --------- ------ ---------------------------------------
18 Austin, TX 1,727 1,076,441 $8.4bn I-35 N at Stassney Ln to Exit 223
--- ---------- ----- --------- ------ ---------------------------------
19 Columbia, MD 2,856 1,046,558 $8.1bn I-695 CCW at Baltimore Nat'l Pike to Providence Rd
--- ------------ ----- --------- ------ --------------------------------------------------
20 Detroit, MI 4,284 1,019,345 $7.9bn I-94 W at Inkster Rd to Gratiot Ave
--- ----------- ----- --------- ------ -----------------------------------
21 Minneapolis, MN 1,903 799,619 $6.2bn I-94 W at State Hwy 128 to 250th St
--- --------------- ----- ------- ------ -----------------------------------
22 Stamford, CT 777 729,130 $5.7bn I-95 S at Route 136 to Stratford Ave
--- ------------ --- ------- ------ ------------------------------------
23 Pittsburgh, PA 2,744 530,395 $4.1bn Lincoln Hwy E at Fort Pitt Tunnel to Settlers Ridge
--- -------------- ----- ------- ------ ---------------------------------------------------
24 Baton Rouge, LA 1,090 389,416 $3.0bn I-10 E at College Dr to Port Allen Lock
--- --------------- ----- ------- ------ ---------------------------------------
25 Santa Barbara, CA 174 146,996 $1.1bn US-101 N at San Ysidro Rd to La Conchita
--- ----------------- --- ------- ------ ----------------------------------------
City Cost: $481.4bn
---------- --------
U.S. Cost: $2.2tn
---------- ------
Top 25 Traffic Hotspots
INRIX Roadway Analytics identified and ranked the 25 worst hotspots from the cities studied. While L.A.'s traffic hotspots dominated the rankings - five of the top 10 traffic hotspots and 10 of the top 25 - the worst hotspot was on I-95 Southbound in the Washington D.C. region near Fredericksburg, VA. Traffic jams at the I-95 hotspot occurred 1,394 times over the study period, stretched 6.47 miles and lasted 33 minutes on average, with a potential to cost of $2.3 billion by 2026 if congestion here is not reduced.
INRIX evaluated the effectiveness of recent projects around the top 25 hotspots. Chicago's top hotspot, I-90 westbound at North Newcastle Avenue, is just 4 miles east of a recent roadway expansion project on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. Illinois Tollway recently added a lane in each direction, which increased westbound peak hour travel speeds by 64 percent. It also activated "smart" features, such as dynamic travel times, active lane management and "shoulder running" for buses or emergency vehicles.
Other cities around the country are making strides to reduce congestion and improve travel times. Although in the early stages, state and local governments have support to enact long-term transportation programs to ease congestion like Atlanta's Transform 285/400, Measure M in Los Angeles, New York's BQE Atlantic to Sands and Connecting Washington in Washington state.
Table 2: INRIX Roadway Analytics Top 25 Traffic Hotspots in the U.S
Rank U.S. City Worst Traffic Hotspot Avg Avg No. of 2026 Cost of
Time Length Traffic Congestion
(mins) (miles) jams
--- ----- ------ ----
1 Washington D.C. I-95 S at Exit 133A to Fairfax County Parkway 33 6.47 1,394 $2.3bn
--- --------------- --------------------------------------------- --- ---- ----- ------
2 Los Angeles, CA I-405 N at Exit 43 to Exit 21 23 5.12 2,032 $1.9bn
--- --------------- ----------------------------- --- ---- ----- ------
3 Los Angeles, CA I-405 S at Exit 22 to Exit 45 24 4.98 1,403 $1.3bn
--- --------------- ----------------------------- --- ---- ----- ------
4 Los Angeles, CA US-101 S at Exit 3B to CA-134/CA-170 355 4.22 108 $1.3bn
--- --------------- ------------------------------------ --- ---- --- ------
5 Chicago, IL I-90 W at 81A to Exit 56B 79 8.55 238 $1.3bn
--- ----------- ------------------------- --- ---- --- ------
6 Los Angeles, CA I-405 N at Exit 53 to 38B 40 5.61 680 $1.2bn
--- --------------- ------------------------- --- ---- --- ------
7 Washington D.C. I-95 N at Exit 143B to SR-608 33 4.51 936 $1.1bn
--- --------------- ----------------------------- --- ---- --- ------
8 Los Angeles, CA US-101 S at Exit 13B to Exit 34 124 4.54 241 $1.1bn
--- --------------- ------------------------------- --- ---- --- ------
9 Washington D.C. I-495 Beltway at Route 201 to Exit 4A 39 5.08 684 $1.1bn
--- --------------- ------------------------------------- --- ---- --- ------
10 San Diego, CA I-15 N at Exit I-215 to Gopher Canyon Road 177 13.71 54 $1.0bn
--- ------------- ------------------------------------------ --- ----- --- ------
11 New York, NY Brooklyn Queens Expy E at Exit 28A to W Shore Expy 64 4.37 462 $1.0bn
--- ------------ -------------------------------------------------- --- ---- --- ------
12 Houston, TX I-45 S Exit 46A to Exit 63 75 5 340 $992m
--- ----------- -------------------------- --- --- --- -----
13 New York, NY I-95 N / Cross Bronx Expy at Exit 4A to Route 46 155 3.35 243 $981m
--- ------------ ------------------------------------------------ --- ---- --- -----
14 San Francisco, CA I-80 W at Emeryville to CA-4 53 4.35 504 $904m
--- ----------------- ---------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
15 Los Angeles, CA I-5 S at I-10 to CA-170 76 7.41 201 $880m
--- --------------- ----------------------- --- ---- --- -----
16 Atlanta, GA I-285 S at I-20 to Route 23 74 10.38 143 $854m
--- ----------- --------------------------- --- ----- --- -----
17 Atlanta, GA I-75 N at Exit 271 to I-75/I-85 62 8.99 187 $811m
--- ----------- ------------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
18 New York, NY Belt Pkwy E at Crossbay Blvd to I-278 115 7.16 122 $781m
--- ------------ ------------------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
19 Los Angeles, CA I-10 E at I-5/I-10 Exit 135C to Exit 1A Santa Monica 26 9.04 422 $771m
--- --------------- ---------------------------------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
20 Seattle, WA I-5 S at Pike St to 128th St/Exit 186 39 6.14 406 $756m
--- ----------- ------------------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
21 Los Angeles, CA I-5 N Exit 146A to Exit 126B 86 6.13 184 $754m
--- --------------- ---------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
22 Chicago, IL I-90 E at Exit 50B to I-294 48 6.56 304 $744m
--- ----------- --------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
23 Los Angeles, CA I-10 W at I-110 to Exit 19C 112 3.79 218 $720m
--- --------------- --------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
24 Los Angeles, CA I-405 N at Exit 70 to I-105 22 12.03 349 $718m
--- --------------- --------------------------- --- ----- --- -----
25 New York, NY I-95 S / Cross Bronx Expy at Alexander Hamilton Bdg to Exit 6A 155 3.76 158 $716m
--- ------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- --- ---- --- -----
To download the full research report, please visit: http://www2.inrix.com/us-traffic-hotspot-study-2017
INRIX Roadway Analytics
INRIX Roadway Analytics is a cloud-based, on-demand traffic analysis tool available in 47 countries across North America, Europe and the Middle East. It provides transportation agencies with easy access to powerful road analysis and insights stemming from highly-granular INRIX XD(TM) segments. Roadway Analytics allows transportation planners and government agencies to leverage big data to monitor changes in traffic patterns, target improvements to maximize benefits and produce visualizations to convey important information to decision makers. With historical data and multi-year trend analysis, Roadway Analytics is being used to assist with setting and tracking progress against new federally-required mobility performance targets.
Click here to see a data visualization of INRIX Roadway Analytics in action in Milan, Italy.
For details and to sign-up for the INRIX Roadway Analytics webinar please click here.
Notes to Editors
-- INRIX Roadway Analytics provided a deep-dive look at the INRIX Global
Traffic Scorecard's 25 most-congested U.S. cities, analyzing over
100,000 traffic hotspots March through April, 2017.
-- A key feature of INRIX Roadway Analytics is the bottleneck tool, which
pinpoints traffic jams on the road network. The locations where traffic
jams occur, defined as observed speeds dropping below 65% of reference
(uncongested) speed for at least 2 minutes, are called traffic hotspots.
-- The bottleneck tool calculates the average length of all traffic jams at
a hotspot, the average duration they existed and the number of
occurrences at the hotspot during the study period. Multiplying these
three statistics together produces the 'Impact Factor' - a measure of
the scale or impact of each hotspot. This Impact Factor is used to rank
traffic hotspots.
-- The annual amount of time wasted at each traffic hotspot is estimated by
assuming: the average traffic hotspot had two lanes of traffic; a
vehicle density of 150 vehicles per mile; and vehicle occupancies based
on national statistics. Multiplying these numbers by a hotspot's Impact
Factor produces an estimate of the amount of time wasted at each
hotspot. An annual cost of this time can be made by multiplying the time
wasted by six (the study covered two months) and converted into economic
values by multiplying it by the value of time derived depending upon
trip purpose from USDOT statistics. These costs are assumed to accrue
for 10 years but future costs are discounted by the social discount rate
of seven percent per year, set by U.S. Treasury Department, because
flows that we pay or receive in the future are worth less to us in
today's money.
About INRIX
INRIX is the global leader in connected car services and transportation analytics, a new approach that leverages big data and the cloud to help manage urban mobility. By aggregating a variety of sources and applying intelligence, INRIX delivers comprehensive data and solutions to help move people, cities and businesses forward. Our partners are automakers, governments, mobile operators, developers, advertisers, as well as enterprises large and small.
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