These ten worst traffic hotspots tortured drivers last year

By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media

Breathe deep and go to your peaceful place before reading this, commuters.

Of the top 10 worst traffic hot spots in the nation last year, the road ranked the very worst is a familiar location to regional drivers.

The 2017 list was compiled by INRIX Roadway Analytics, a traffic research and analysis company which also does work for some state Departments of Transportation. INRIX examined traffic data from 1,360 cities in 38 countries, covering more than 100,000 square miles. In the U.S., they analyzed congestion in 296 cities and large urban areas

They found that four of the top ten worst traffic hotspots in 2017 are in the New York metropolitan area, which includes northern New Jersey and parts of Long island and Connecticut. While Los Angeles was ranked overall the worst U.S. city for congestion and time and wasted in traffic, only one location in the City of Angels made the top list.

Hotspots were designated based on traffic jams that frequently occur at the same locations on a highway. The research company calculated the average time of a traffic jam, and how much time it costs commuters last year. Real Time traffic information was used in the rankings.

While six cities had hotspots that made the list, INRIX said traffic hotspots exist in every city its researchers studied. Here are the 10 worst:

I 93 and 90 boston wiki.jpg

(Wikipedia)

10. Boston: I-93 south, Exit 20 A Albany Street to Exit 8-Furnace Brook Parkway.

There is a reason why this nine-mile section of I-93 made the list.

The Albany Street exit is at a knot of ramps where I-93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike meet. According to INRIX, the worst traffic jams occur during the morning rush, when traffic crawls along at 25 mph.

Evening traffic moved at 39 mph. Drivers spent 55 hours in traffic on this section of I-93 in 2017.

9. New York: E 42nd Street, FDR Drive to Seventh Avenue.

This famous street that cuts across Manhattan was ranked ninth because average rush hour speeds are slower than a Manhattan power walk.

That’s six mph during the morning rush and a little more than five plus mph during the evening rush.

INRIX found the worst congestion happens during the evening rush and traffic sucked 56 hours out of commuters lives last year.

8. New York: Belt Pkwy East, Exit 3-I-278 to Exit 17-Cross Bay Boulevard.

This seven-mile section of highway between the gateway to the Rockaways and Kennedy Airport is a repeat offender from 2016, landing at eighth worst in 2017.

Drivers spent 57 hours in traffic last year and loafed along at 28 mph during the morning rush.

Traffic hit 47 mph during the evening rush, the highest speed of the 10 worst congested highway corridors.

Queens midtown tunnel.jpeg

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

7. New York: East 34th Street, FDR Drive to Fifth Avenue.

This is another corridor where commuters might make better time on a bike than in a car.

Average speeds during the morning and evening commute were just under six mph, with the morning commute ranked as the worst.

Traffic jams on this section of 34th Street cost commuters 59 hours last year. One reason is the street is a route between the LincolnTunnel and Queens Midtown Tunnel, shown above.

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These ten worst traffic hotspots tortured drivers last year