Raging Over Roads
2 highways in Dallas declared the very worst roads for truckers
Commuters aren’t the only drivers fed up with Dallas highway traffic. A new study from the American Transportation Research Institute ranks two Dallas highway intersections —I-45 at I-30 and U.S. 75 at I-635 —as some of the worst highway bottlenecks for American truckers. I-45 is No. 12 and U.S. 75 is No. 60.
The American Transportation Research Institute study was based on GPS data from more than 600,000 big-rig trucks. In all, the study identifies 100 congested segments of U.S. highways. It lists 14 Texas bottlenecks for truckers; together, Dallas and Fort Worth have three rankings, while Houston has 10 spots and Austin only one.
Why does Texas have so many trucking chokepoints? “Texas is a key freight generator and a critical link in the nation’s supply chain,” says John Esparza, president of the Texas Trucking Association.
In August 2016, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) ranked I-635 from I-35E/U.S. 77 to U.S. 75 as the state’s seventh most congested roadway. Its Texas Congestion Index rating indicates that during rush hour, a trip through that stretch of road can take nearly twice as long as when traffic is flowing freely.
Here’s the full list of truck bottlenecks in Texas and where they appear in the overall ranking:
- No. 8 — I-45 at U.S. 59 in Houston
- No. 11 — I-10 at I-45 in Houston
- No. 12 — I-45 at I-30 in Dallas
- No. 13 — I-10 at U.S. 59 in Houston
- No. 22 — I-610 at U.S. 290 in Houston
- No. 25 — I-45 at I-610 North in Houston
- No. 28 — I-35 in Austin
- No. 33 — I-10 at I-610 West in Houston
- No. 49 — I-35 West at I-30 in Fort Worth
- No. 59 — I-610 at U.S. 59 West in Houston
- No. 60 — U.S. 75 at I-635 in Dallas
- No. 65 — I-45 at Sam Houston Tollway North in Houston
- No. 82 — I-45 at I-610 South in Houston
- No. 88 — I-10 at I-610 East in Houston
