Freight Facts and Figures 2011
Table 3-9. Top 25 Freight Highway Locations by Freight Congestion Index Rating: 2010
Truck speed and travel time reliability data can be used to identify and quantify major freight truck chokepoints and bottlenecks along highways that are critical to the Nation's freight transportation system. FHWA developed a freight congestion index that ranks congestion's impact on freight movement. The index factors in both the number of trucks using a particular highway facility and the impact that congestion has on the average speed of those vehicles.
On weekdays, average speeds during peak periods (between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.) are typically less than those recorded during non-peak periods. Freight traveling across urban Interstate interchanges is affected to the greatest degree by peak-period congestion. At several locations, congestion affects freight mobility during all hours of the day.
| Location | Congestion Ranking | Average Speed (mph) |
Peak Period Average Speed (mph) |
Non-Peak Period Average Speed
(mph) |
Non-Peak/
Peak Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL: I-290 at I-90/I-94 | 1 | 29.41 | 22.34 | 31.89 | 1.43 |
| Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4 | 2 | 28.98 | 22.67 | 31.84 | 1.40 |
| Houston, TX: I-45 at US 59 | 3 | 38.55 | 30.19 | 42.49 | 1.41 |
| Houston, TX: I-10 at I-45 | 4 | 41.28 | 32.18 | 45.51 | 1.41 |
| Houston, TX: I-10 at US 59 | 5 | 41.01 | 31.02 | 46.41 | 1.50 |
| Gary, IN: I-65 at I-80 | 6 | 47.35 | 45.06 | 48.26 | 1.07 |
| Austin, TX: I-35 | 7 | 34.55 | 20.35 | 43.42 | 2.13 |
| Chicago, IL: I-90 at I-94 (North) | 8 | 35.39 | 22.64 | 40.99 | 1.81 |
| Atlanta, GA: I-285 at I-85 (North) | 9 | 45.69 | 34.87 | 50.94 | 1.46 |
| Los Angeles, CA: SR 60 at SR 57 | 10 | 46.43 | 39.01 | 49.30 | 1.26 |
| Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN: I-35W at I-494 | 11 | 44.80 | 35.01 | 49.74 | 1.42 |
| Houston, TX: I-610 at US 290 | 12 | 44.55 | 35.80 | 48.77 | 1.36 |
| Dallas, TX: I-45 at I-30 | 13 | 41.40 | 32.78 | 45.08 | 1.38 |
| Houston, TX: I-45 at I-610 (North) | 14 | 45.82 | 38.60 | 49.03 | 1.27 |
| Cincinnati, OH: I-71 at I-75 | 15 | 46.76 | 37.34 | 50.79 | 1.36 |
| Denver, CO: I-70 at I-25 | 16 | 43.88 | 37.09 | 46.91 | 1.26 |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY: I-90 at I-290 | 17 | 41.93 | 39.25 | 43.24 | 1.10 |
| Hartford, CT: I-84 at I-91 | 18 | 46.73 | 37.04 | 50.69 | 1.37 |
| Louisville, KY: I-65 at I-64/I-71 | 19 | 45.04 | 35.77 | 49.64 | 1.39 |
| Atlanta, GA: I-75 at I-285 (North) | 20 | 48.75 | 38.99 | 53.30 | 1.37 |
Key: mph = miles per hour.
Notes:
FHWA monitors 250 freight-significant highway infrastructure locations on an annual basis. These locations were identified over several years through reviews of past research, available highway speed and volume datasets, and surveys of private- and public-sector stakeholders. FHWA developed a freight congestion index to rank congestion's impact on freight. The index factors in the number of trucks using a particular highway facility and the impact that congestion has on average commercial vehicle speed in each of the 250 study areas. These data represent truck travel during weekdays at all hours of the day in 2010. Average speeds below a free flow of 55 miles per hour indicate congestion.
Source:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Performance Measurement Program, special tabulation, 2011.
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