Freight Facts and Figures 2013

Figure 3-18. Peak-Period Congestion on High-Volume Truck Portions of the National Highway System: 2011

Congested highways carrying a large number of trucks substantially impede interstate commerce, and trucks on those segments contribute significantly to congestion. Recurring congestion slows traffic on 5,800 miles and creates stop-and-go conditions on 4,500 miles of the NHS that carry more than 8,500 trucks per day.

Figure 3-18

Figure 3-18. U.S. map showing heavy congestion on high volume truck routes in the largest cities and moderate congestion on highways routes in the Northeast, Northwest, and in California.

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Notes:

High-volume truck portions of the National Highway System carry more than 8,500 trucks per day, including freight-hauling long-distance trucks, freight hauling local trucks, and other trucks with six or more tires. Highly congested segments are stop-and-go conditions with volume/service flow ratios greater than 0.95. Congested segments have reduced traffic speeds with volume/service flow ratios between 0.75 and 0.95. The volume/service flow ratio is estimated using the procedures outlined in the HPMS Field Manual, Appendix N. NHS mileage as of 2011, prior to MAP-21 system expansion.

Sources:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information, Highway Performance Monitoring System; and Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.4, 2013.

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