Top 10 Traffic Hotspots in the U.S.

If you’re complaining about your daily commute to Raleigh on I-40 or to Charlotte on the I-485 beltway, be thankful you’re not in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Commuters on the Washington-Fredericksburg stretch of I-95 have to endure four major traffic jams each day.

Or you could be in Los Angeles, where motorists in 2016 spent an average of 100 hours stuck in traffic – more than any other city in the world.

Those are some of the findings from a new study released by INRIX, a company that gathers and crunches transportation analytics data.

INRIX ranked more than 100,000 hotspots in 25 American cities. New York City topped the list with 13,608 traffic hotspots. The nastiest congestion occurs on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

Overall – considering lost time and money – Los Angeles fared even worse.

Other cities that ranked high – or low, depending on your perspective – were Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco.

Bumper to Bumper

If you’ve ever driven to see a Nationals baseball game or visit relatives up north, you’ve experienced the horror of navigating the greater Washington DC stretch of I-95. There were 1,384 jams over the study period, stalling vehicles for an average 6.5 miles and causing 33 minute delays. And that’s on a good day.

Backups on I-15 in San Diego extend for more than 13 miles, and delays of five hours are not unusual on US-101 in Los Angeles.

10 Worst Traffic Hotspots for Average Jams and Delays

1. Washington DC:  I-95 S at Exit 133A to Fairfax County Parkway (1,394 jams, 33 minute delays)
2. Los Angeles CA: I-405 N at Exit 43 to Exit 21 (2,032 jams, 23 minute delays)
3. Los Angeles CA: I-405 S at Exit 22 to Exit 45 (1,403 jams, 24 minute delays)
4. Los Angeles CA: US-101 S at Exit 3B to CA-134/CA-170 (108 jams, 355 minute delays)
5. Chicago IL: I-90 W at 81A to Exit 56B (238 jams, 79 minute delays)
6. Los Angeles CA: I-405 N at Exit 53 to 38B (680 jams, 40 minute delays)
7. Washington DC: I-95 N at Exit 143B to SR-608 (936 jams, 33 minute delays)
8. Los Angeles CA: US-101 S at Exit 13B to Exit 34 (241 jams, 124 minute delays)
9. Washington DC: I-495 Beltway at Route 201 to Exit 4A (684 jams, 39 minute delays)
10. San Diego CA: I-15 N at Exit I-215 to Gopher Canyon Road (54 jams, 177 minute delays)

10 Worst Traffic Hotspots Overall

1. Los Angeles CA: $29 billion projected loss by 2026 (worst spot: I-405 N at Exit 43 to Exit 21)
2. New York City: $63.9 billion loss (worst spot: Brooklyn Queens Expy E at Exit 28A to W Shore Expy)
3. Washington DC: $29.2 billion loss (worst spot: I-95 S at Exit 133A to Fairfax County Parkway)
4. Atlanta GA: $28.9 billion loss (worst spot: I-285 S at I-20 to Route 23)
5. Dallas TX: $28.3 billion loss (worst spot: I-20 W at Exit 451 to Exit 466)
6. Chicago IL: $28.2 billion loss (worst spot: I-90 W at 81A to Exit 56B)
7. San Francisco CA: $26.9 billion loss (worst spot: I-80 W at Emeryville to CA-4)
8. Houston TX: $23.8 billion loss (worst spot: I-45 S Exit 46A to Exit 63)
9. Miami FL: $19.1 billion loss (worst spot: I-95 N at Exit 12A to US-1)
10. Boston MA: $18.9 billion loss (worst spot: Massachusetts Tpke E at Boston U Bridge to Oak St)

What are some North Carolina routes you dread? Any tips for smoother sailing?

Source: INRIX http://inrix.com/press-releases/us-hotspots/