I-35 in Austin Named the Worst Traffic in Texas
If you have traveled across Texas. You know some areas can be worse than others when it comes to traffic. I always hear how awful Houston can be, which Houston's I-610 did come in second on the list. The actual worst traffic is over in Austin on I-35.
According to the study, for every mile of road in I-35′s stretch through Central Austin, drivers lose 1,647,353 hours to traffic delays. During peak traffic times, which is typically worst in afternoons, it takes nearly three times longer to travel on the highway than during free-flowing traffic. And on the worst days, travel times increase fivefold, according to the study.
“There is a lot of variability day-to-day,” David Schrank, a senior research scientist with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, said of I-35. “Speeds are slow every day, but on some days, you are virtually stopped.” All told, the gridlock costs the Texas economy roughly $288 million, according to the study.
Things like wasted fuel and trucking delays are what factor into that $288 million figure. That's just one stretch of I-35. Austin also has fifteen of the 100 most congested roads in Texas. Houston does have 36 out of 100, so maybe that is why people think they have the worst traffic in the state.