Houston I-45 Stretch Among Worst Traffic Hotspots In The Country

HOUSTON, TX — There's nothing more frustrating than bee bopping along the highway when, all of a sudden, traffic comes to a screeching halt. Vehicles sit there for a few minutes before gradually rolling again. But just as cars get back up to 20 mph, everything comes back to a complete-stop parking lot on the highway. Houstonians know this problem oh so well, and it's no surprise that Houston's traffic congestion is among the worst in the nation in both hotspots and money lost through congestion. There's data to prove it.

INRIX Roadway Analysis 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.

Houston is ranked No. 8 overall. Of the 4,417 identified hotspots in the Bayou City, the stretch on I-45 S between Exit 46A to Exit 63 was considered the worst. For those not familiar with exit numbers, it's the 17-mile reach from Rankin Road (north of Beltway 8 in North Houston) to Emancipation Ave. in the area where I-45 and I-69 merge.

In addition to the mind-numbing traffic, the congestion is expected to cost the city $23.8 billion through time, fuel and emissions by 2026.

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Los Angeles tops the list with $90.9 billion in expected costs, followed by New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Dallas. The next five of Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Miami and Boston round out the top 10. Here is the full report with metrics.

"Many cities are calling for increased transportation infrastructure spending to fix ailing roads, bridges and transit networks," said INRIX senior economist Bob Pishue. "By identifying traffic hotspots and analyzing their root causes, cities can effectively combat congestion and maximize present and future investments."

The only other Texas city making the list is Austin, which checks in at No. 18 for its stretch on I-35 from Stassney Lane to Exit 223. Dallas' worst stretch is I-20 West from Exit 451 to Exit 466.

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