So who’s got the worst traffic? A few weeks ago, the Transportation Department named nine cities as finalists for a new federal initiative to fight traffic gridlock. The announcement touched off speculation in the blogosphere over which metropolitan area would be most deserving of the grants. But now our wait is over.
The DOT just released the names of the five cities that will get the traffic funds. They are:
1. New York ($354.5 million)
2. San Francisco ($158.7 million)
3. Seattle ($138.7 million)
4. Minneapolis ($133.3 million)
5. Miami ($62.9 million)
It’s a good list, but I think there are a few cities that are missing from here. How about Los Angeles? Chicago? Washington?
Still, motorists can use this list as a guide of sorts. I don’t think anyone would argue that the winners don’t have traffic problems.
And while it may not be realistic to expect anyone to steer clear of these cities, it does give travelers an opportunity to plan their road trips more carefully to avoid busy areas or rush hour.
Of course, the last time I was in Seattle I tried that and I still ended up in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-5.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I know everyone always thinks their own city is the worst, but I’m honestly shocked (and pleased) that Boston’s nowhere to be seen. Guess the Big Dig really is working!
As often as I drive in Atlanta, it’s hard to imagine that it did not make the top three. The best view of Atlanta for a driver is in the rear view mirror. Then you know you got away from there safely. Try driving anywhere near the posted speed limit, and you will get run over by dozens of lead-footed drivers.
BAH. NY doesn’t count. It’s got a real mass transit system, just leave the car at home. The result is while its got gridlock, its an option for most folks to deal with it.
I’d rate Atlanta, or even Tampa higher than NY because you don’t have any options other than to drive, and often you find there are not any alternate routes when one gets congested due to an accident.
That said, it looks like the purpose was to determine where to spend money, and for the fact that it’s the bottleneck for the entire north east, those NYC roads are horrible.
I have lived in 5 metro areas. Atlanta is by far the worst. Not just the traffic, but the rude drivers!
I think DC should definitely be considered on this list. While the city itself isn’t as big as other cities, the metro area in Virginia and Maryland is way too big for the way too small infrastructure. The Capital Beltway is always clogged, the largest westbound route out of the city, I-66, is only 2 lanes for several miles, I-95 backs up 50 miles south to Fredricksburg, and when I-270 in Maryland merges with I-495, it causes terrible delays…
no houston? That 59 south and 610 downtown is ranked among the top 5 worst highways in the nation