Graphic below is from the Houston Chronicle:
TxDOT: Houston is home to Texas' most-congested roadway
05:30 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Associated Press and Brad Woodard / 11 News
AUSTIN, Texas -- A state agency has proof of what many Texas drivers already know. Harris County, with its nearly 4 million residents, has a lot of traffic. The Department of Transportation says a stretch of Interstate 45 in the Houston area tops the list of the state’s 100 most congested roadways.
The roadway from South Loop 8 to Interstate 610 totaled nearly 450,000 hours of delay a mile and almost 4.3 million hours of delay annually at a cost of $88 million. “You’ve got to keep in mind 1-45 was built 20 plus years ago,” said P.E. transportation engineer Gonzalo Camacho. “It’s probably about time it needs to be reconstructed.”
In fact, Harris County is home to six of the state’s top ten most congested roads, but something sets I-45 apart. You see, I-45 is a hurricane evacuation route and remember what happened during Hurricane Rita. “In my mind it sets it as a priority versus other highways at the state level. Look at Houston, the fourth largest city in the U.S. It needs to be a priority,” said Camacho.
Three stretches in Harris County and two in Dallas County, including No. 2 from I-635 to Woodall Rodgers Freeway, make up the top five most congested segments.
All roads in Texas were part of the analysis, but for practical purposes only freeways, tollways, expressways, frontage roads and certain artery streets were included.
References:
List: TxDOT's 100 Most Congested Roadways
