ATRI Releases Annual List of Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2023

Contact: Rebecca Brewster (404) 247-8787

rbrewster@trucking.org

Washington, D.C. – The American Transportation Research Institute today released its 12th annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America.

The 2023 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on the national highway system.  The analysis, based on an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location.  ATRI’s truck GPS data is also used to support numerous state and federal freight mobility initiatives.  The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

For the fifth year in a row, the intersection of I-95 and SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey is once again the Number One freight bottleneck in the country.  The remaining Top 10 bottlenecks include:

  • Chicago: I-294 at I-290/I-88
  • Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
  • Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
  • Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
  • Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
  • Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57
  • Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105
  • Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)
  • San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15

ATRI’s analysis, which utilized data from 2022, found traffic conditions continue to deteriorate from recent years as more Americans returned to work post-pandemic.  Consequently, supply chain bottlenecks occurred throughout the country.  Average rush hour truck speeds were 36.3 MPH, down more than six percent from the previous year.  Among the top-10 locations, average rush hour truck speeds were less than 30 MPH. 

“The past year-plus has shone a spotlight on our supply chains, and how congestion and other pressures can hurt the American economy and consumers,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear.  “ATRI’s bottleneck report highlights the areas of our transportation network in need of investment so we can get goods and people moving.  The cost of doing nothing is felt in needless delays, wasted fuel and time.”

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI’s website here.  ATRI is also providing animations created with truck GPS data for select bottleneck locations, all available on the website.

ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501c3 not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.