For commuters who trek daily across metro Atlanta’s highways, this likely won’t be a shock. Nine area interchanges are among the worst in the country for truckers hauling freight, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s list of the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America.
Three local interchanges are in the top 10 of 100, according to the recently released 14th annual list. The ATRI says its analysis can help local, state and federal governments allocate funding where it is needed most.
“Delays inflicted on truckers by congestion are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” said Rebecca Brewster, the group’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement. “These metrics are getting worse, but the good news is that states do not need to accept the status quo.”
Brewster said Illinois once had the nation’s “top bottleneck” but after “a sustained effort to expand capacity,” that specific Chicago interchange is no longer among the nation’s 10 most congested spots.
“This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce choke points, lower emissions and drive economic growth,” she said.
So where are the worst bottlenecks in metro Atlanta?
Coming in at No. 4 in the country is our own Spaghetti Junction: I-285 at I-85, the route needed when heading north into Gwinnett County.
No. 6 is 1-75 at I-285, also known as the Cobb Cloverleaf.
The study gives the No. 10 spot to I-20 at I-285 on the west side of town.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Other local interchanges and corridors cracking the top 100 include:
- No. 12: I-75 through McDonough
- No. 14: I-20 at I-285 (East)
- No. 29: I-285 at SR 400
- No. 38: I-20 at I-75/I-85
- No. 80: I-75 at I-85
- No. 82: I-75 at I-675
Only Texas had more interchanges make the list with 12. California followed Georgia with eight interchanges on the most congested list.
But it could always be worse, Atlanta drivers.
For the seventh year in a row, the intersection of I-95 and State Route 4 near the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey, is the top freight bottleneck in the country.
In Chicago, I-294 at I-290/I-883 came in at No. 2. And in Houston, I-45 at I-69/U.S. 59, was No. 3 on the list.
The problem with such trouble spots is not just the time drivers waste sitting in traffic, according to researchers. The delays also waste diesel fuel, causing trucks to burn an estimated 6.4 billion gallons while also producing 65 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said the result is a choked supply chain that adds $109 billion annually to the cost of transporting goods.
In a statement, he added that it also impacts “the quality of life for all motorists who rely on the national highway system to commute to work, school, church and other life events.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
