Here are America’s top 10 worst bottlenecks for truckers

A list of the most congested bottlenecks from trucking in America has been released thanks to the American Transportation Research Institute. 

The data was compiled using GPS data from over 1 million semi trucks and trucking companies and analyzed more than 300 locations across highways nationwide throughout the year 2020. 

While the effects of COVID 19 did impact traffic across the nation, demand for freight remained steady throughout the year, and the freight demand paired with numerous highway construction projects still resulted in congestion, even without the usual flow of motorists. 

“While everyone else sheltered in place in 2020, trucks kept rolling, delivering essential goods to communities large and small,” said Hugh Ekberg, CRST International president and CEO. “Unfortunately, congestion continues to impact our operations and affect our drivers’ ability to deliver for America.”  

The Top 10 bottlenecks include:

1. Fort Lee: I-95 at SR 4
2. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
3. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
4. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
5. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
6. Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
7. Chattanooga, Tennessee: I-75 at I-24
8. St. Louis: I-64/I-55 at I-44
9. Rye, New York: I-95 at I-287
10. San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15

This is the third year running that the intersection of I-95 and SR 4 in Fort Lee, NJ has ranked number one when it comes to trucking bottlenecks. 

“For decades, ATA has been sounding the alarm about how the condition of our highways is contributing to congestion, which slows down commerce, contributes to pollution and reduces safety,” said Chris Spear, American Trucking Associations president and CEO. “ATRI’s bottleneck report highlights where our most critical issues are and should be a guide for policymakers at the state and federal level.

“The cost of doing nothing is always higher than the cost of fixing these problems and we cannot wait any longer to address this mounting crisis.”