Highest traffic counts in your city?

[Sun Belt]

Lately [in the last 10 years], weekend traffic has been almost worse than weekday traffic. I say this because it's just heavy traffic at all hours of the day versus the standard and very predictable Monday - Friday commuter traffic.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

I did that a few months ago actually. It was a breeze compared to SF-Sac.

I've driven Austin to S.A. (and vice-versa) 200+ times, The Bay to Sac 8-10 times and my experience has been the exact opposite aside from there being noticeably heavier traffic outbound on 80E than heading back into the city.

The Austin to S.A. route has worsened significantly in recent years due to South Austin's and North San Antonio's growth, and never-ending construction on I-35.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Its terrible. Some areas are horrid.



I had to make this trip for work to visit a client in Deer Park NY. The Friday before memorial day weekend this year in 2019. It took me 5 f****n hours to get from Deer Park NY to my town where I live. This is the exact route I took. Only 94 miles too!

This was the day where I had to piss in a Monster Energy Drink can using a pen to carve a hole because out of those 5 hours, 2 was just getting through where the White Stone Bridge enters the Bronx , to the NJ side where the GW Bridge terminates.

Maybe I f'd that day, and should of taken the Southern route (Belt Parkway). IDK which route would of been quicker, but that map is the route I took.

What a nightmare. Ranks as one my my worse traffic experiences ever.

I think where I f'd up is I had an energy drink before I left. IDK, maybe cutting through Manhattan would of been quicker, IDK, but what a nightmare. I left at 2:30 pm, and got back home around 7:20 pm.

For reference, when I visited my sister who lives in Arlington VA, the trip took me right around 4 hours. And I left around 2 pm on a Friday (back in mid June).

94 miles of shit, and standstill. At one point, 20 minutes at a standstill at the WhiteStone Bridge termination where it meets I-95/I-278. And all of the damn trucks too!

Why didn't you go through Staten Island?

[Cirrus]

Here's what everyone has posted so far, that I've noticed. I'm skeptical of Boise.

LA		461
Toronto		417
Atlanta		403
SF		369
Boise		326
Chicago		319
San Diego	312
Houston        >300
Dallas		285
New York	282
Phoenix		280
SLC		275
Denver		274
DC		250
Austin		241
New Orleans	209
Birmingham	155
Ft Worth	107
Asheville	106
Texarkana	 88

[SlidellWx]

Originally Posted by Dariusb

I wonder what is the traffic counts on I-10 in Baton Rouge? Seems like every time I pass through there, it's almost at a standstill.

Highest count in Baton Rouge is on I-10 between Washington St. and Dalrymple Dr. Traffic count of 168,267 vehicles pass through the stretch on average each day.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.4311.../data=!3m1!1e3

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Why didn't you go through Staten Island?

Yup I think that was my mistake. But the Belt Parkway is not to be underestimated. There have been times where I'm out in East NY or near JFK, and taking the Belt all the way to the Goethals on the Elizabeth NJ side has taken me 2 hours. Just crossing Staten Island (unless you illegally take the HOV which sometimes I hypothetically do), if jammed, can take an hour to cross. And this is just on normal weekday traffic with no grid-lock-alert-day signs blaring.

Either way, I was screwed. The Friday before Memorial weekend, its going to nightmare to escape NY. Even than, the turnpike, the dreaded I-287 in NJ is no better which always is jammed from exit 2 to exit 12 which can add another 30-40 minutes. I was f'd either way. Maybe... maybe if I was lucky, I could of shaved an hour off.

But I sure as hell won't schedule meetings with that client on Fridays before Holidays, thats for sure. That was my next blunder. I should of done it on a Monday.

[Crawford]

I don't know where to find NJ Turnpike data, but that would have highest traffic count in NY area. It's now 12 lanes from NYC to just outside Philly (which angers me because the expansion was 100% diverted NJ Transit rail funds under idiotic Gov. Christie, basically for no purpose but to beef up his "I'm really a Conservative anti-transit Republican" Presidential candidate resume).

I assume the busiest part is around Newark Airport and the port.

[chris08876]

^^^^

I find the turnpike as you approach exit 13a is the worse because everyone is trying to get to the Holland Tunnel exit and there is a transition between Lincoln/GWB exits and Holland tunnel only. It starts getting bad near Secaucus the closer you get to the GWB bridge. Always jammed during rush hour. The GWB on the NJ side as you get closer also has these f'd up zipper merges. Not one... not two... but three zipper merges that come in a short distance. Being the major truck route, its a fuckin nightmare. And the toll plazas, with some ez-pass only, some cash only/ez-pass, make it a nightmare. Than you have 12 toll plazas converge into the actual lanes of the GWB Upper Level. Its gridlock hell.

And nobody gives anybody a chance. You are forced to cut people off. Not because one is mean, but just for survival.

And one accident, oh boy, its going to be a rough morning. Worse is when there is a bus accident.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

I've driven Austin to S.A. (and vice-versa) 200+ times, The Bay to Sac 8-10 times and my experience has been the exact opposite aside from there being noticeably heavier traffic outbound on 80E than heading back into the city.

The Austin to S.A. route has worsened significantly in recent years due to South Austin's and North San Antonio's growth, and never-ending construction on I-35.

That's nice, but on scale the 2 areas in question are vastly different in size and scale, and in my experience that is manifest in traffic as well.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I don't know where to find NJ Turnpike data, but that would have highest traffic count in NY area. It's now 12 lanes from NYC to just outside Philly

On a side note, if you do take the turn pike, always take the truck/car only lane, don't take the car only lane.

Trust me, this is from experience.

Because trucks can't be on the left, its smooth sailing if you do 75-80 mph, which is the norm if you stick on the left, and use the right to pass slow drivers/trucks. Now I know this is not kosher, but it will get you places without stress assuming the left gripping folks don't move to the right.

You will actually get stuck in more traffic in the car only lane because psychology shows us that folks with cars will all go in that lane. And you get the worse offenders of slow drivers in that section of the turnpike.

This is from experience and Chris knows. Don't do what the masses do, and all clutter in the car-only. Also, truck drivers are better skilled, and respect the rules of the road. Car-only lane attracts the worst offenders of slow drivers or non-blinker using mofos.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Here's what everyone has posted so far, that I've noticed. I'm skeptical of Boise.

LA		461
Toronto		417
Atlanta		403
SF		369
Boise		326
Chicago		319
San Diego	312
Houston        >300
Dallas		285
New York	282
Phoenix		280
SLC		275
Denver		274
DC		250
Austin		241
New Orleans	209
Birmingham	155
Ft Worth	107
Asheville	106
Texarkana	 88

Those Boise figures are whacked. The highest counts on the roads in question are 133,000 per avg. weekday. https://iplan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/w...ca6aad30e83ba2

Regarding Texas, here are some 2017 TXDot figures:

Highest Houston count is 387,000 on IH 10/Katy Freeway just east of Sam Houston Tollway. Several other counts around 350,000 on SW Freeway and Loop 610

Highest Fort Worth Count is 177,000 on IH 35W just south of downtown. Lots of 140,000 plus counts elsewhere on FW freeways. There is a 207,000 count on IH 20 just east of IH 35W, but that is probably outside of FW city limits.

[Dariusb]

Originally Posted by JManc

Oh yeah, it's hell there. Just before you get hit the bridge (eastbound) and about to where 10 and 12 split off.

I wonder could they add extra lanes or would that be pushing it?

[Dariusb]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

I've driven Austin to S.A. (and vice-versa) 200+ times, The Bay to Sac 8-10 times and my experience has been the exact opposite aside from there being noticeably heavier traffic outbound on 80E than heading back into the city.

The Austin to S.A. route has worsened significantly in recent years due to South Austin's and North San Antonio's growth, and never-ending construction on I-35.

I now live in the Killeen/Temple area and traffic in cities all along 35 between San Antonio and Waco has greatly increased.

[Minato Ku]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Yup. Can anyone from that area tell us about it?

Also, I used peak month and came up with these busiest points on various LA/OC and IE freeways.
60@Fairway(Industry) 490,000
5@22/57(Santa Ana) 410,000
405@605(Seal Beach) 396,000
10@Hoover(LA) 375,000
210@Hill(Pasadena) 341,000
...

I'm quite skeptical about the number for the 60, it seems too high compared to the configuration of the highway.
Here you have just 8+2 carpool lanes and the intersection with an avenue.

It seems quite weird that it gets almost 1/4 more traffic than much wider stretches at the junctions of of several major highways like the three following cases.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Folks need to remember that volume and congestion are not the same. You can have one high but the other low, depending on capacity and other factors.

True. Here's a worst congestion list using data from INRIX:

1] Boston
2] Washington DC
3] Chicago
4] New York
5] Los Angeles
6] Seattle
7] Pittsburgh
8] San Francisco
9] Philadelphia
10] Portland
11] Atlanta
12] Miami
13] Houston
14] Austin
15] Baltimore

Older cities with inadequate, aging infrastructure are more congested than their peers.
Ex1] a 2 lane road vs. a 4 lane road with bus turnouts, right turn lanes, medians
Ex2] a 6 lane freeway without HOV lanes, vs a rebuilt/modern 8-10 lane freeway with HOV lanes

[Steely Dan]

^also, most of the cities in the top 10 on that list have the most robust transit infrastructure in the nation.

so they do give many people a choice if they work downtown: sit in traffic or sit on the train and check emails, proofread a report, read the news, watch a show, whatever.

smart phones/tablets allow train time to be productive time. it's not really a wasted 40 minutes like sitting in the linear parking lot known as the kennedy "expressway" is.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by edale

Los Angeles also has a parkway like this- the Arroyo Seco Parkway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1120...7i16384!8i8192

this one is terrifying to merge onto...the "on ramps" are like "T's" in places and the cars are barreling along at 80 mph. its helpful to have a turbocharged engine...i guess it's a remnant of 30s/40s traffic engineering...i think the overpasses have something like 1939 or so stamped upon them.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

True. Here's a worst congestion list using data from INRIX:

1] Boston
2] Washington DC
3] Chicago
4] New York
5] Los Angeles
6] Seattle
7] Pittsburgh
8] San Francisco
9] Philadelphia
10] Portland
11] Atlanta
12] Miami
13] Houston
14] Austin
15] Baltimore

I've experienced everyone of those cities except Seattle, Portland and SF and they were all equally terrible to drive in. Except for Chicago for some reason, been there a few times and never managed to experience their rush hour.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Interesting. I've driven that route several times and although I do recall there being traffic, I don't recall it being particularly worse than any other stretch between two major cities.

Good for you. I have a house in SF and in Tahoe so drive it quite often. Getting out of SF on the Bay Bridge, north thru Emeryville, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon and Davis is a traffic nightmare. Sure, if you can get out before 11:00 AM or head out after 8:00 PM it is okay but otherwise it is a complete shit hole of a drive. It has taken me 4 to 5 hours to drive the 90 miles to Sacramento. It is the worst I have ever experienced. Never have I experienced such bad traffic going an equal distance in any direction in Los Angeles the 21 years I have lived there.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Its terrible. Some areas are horrid.



I had to make this trip for work to visit a client in Deer Park NY. The Friday before memorial day weekend this year in 2019. It took me 5 f****n hours to get from Deer Park NY to my town where I live. This is the exact route I took. Only 94 miles too!

This was the day where I had to piss in a Monster Energy Drink can using a pen to carve a hole because out of those 5 hours, 2 was just getting through where the White Stone Bridge enters the Bronx , to the NJ side where the GW Bridge terminates.

Maybe I f'd that day, and should of taken the Southern route (Belt Parkway). IDK which route would of been quicker, but that map is the route I took.

What a nightmare. Ranks as one my my worse traffic experiences ever.

I think where I f'd up is I had an energy drink before I left. IDK, maybe cutting through Manhattan would of been quicker, IDK, but what a nightmare. I left at 2:30 pm, and got back home around 7:20 pm.

For reference, when I visited my sister who lives in Arlington VA, the trip took me right around 4 hours. And I left around 2 pm on a Friday (back in mid June).

94 miles of shit, and standstill. At one point, 20 minutes at a standstill at the WhiteStone Bridge termination where it meets I-95/I-278. And all of the damn trucks too!

In my experience, the two worst holidays for traffic in NYC are the Friday before Memorial Day and the day before Thanksgiving. It's taken me 3 hours just to get through Manhattan on the Friday before Memorial Day. Going through Staten Island was absolutely the best call.