Traffic & Transit
DC One Of Nation's Worst Cities For Traffic Jams: Study
An annual Global Traffic Scorecard gave both Washington, D.C., and Baltimore low grades, noting how many hours and money drivers waste.
WASHINGTON, DC — If you're stuck in traffic on the Capital Beltway in Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia, you likely have concluded that Washington, D.C., is one of the nation's worst cities for traffic jams. Nearby Baltimore also fared poorly on a recent traffic scorecard.
According to a new study, your conclusion is correct.
Software company INRIX recently released its Global Traffic Scorecard for 2023, which calculates the cities with the most time consuming traffic delays. The commute times in the study were determined by looking at the time it takes to get to and from major employment centers within an urban area from surrounding commuting neighborhoods.
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Using that criteria, Washington, D.C., was rated the seventh-worst city in the nation for traffic delays. That ranking is up from eighth in 2022.
According to INRIX, DC commuters lost 63 hours in traffic in 2023, compared to 52 hours in 2022. That amount of time led to drivers spending an extra $1,095 in commuting costs.
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The city lost $2.7 billion as a result of the delays, the study found.
Baltimore was rated the 14th worst city in the nation for traffic delays. That ranking is up from 16th in 2022.
According to INRIX, Baltimore commuters lost 44 hours in traffic in 2023, compared to 35 hours in 2022. That amount of time led to drivers spending an extra $762 in commuting costs.
The city lost $905 million as a result of the delays, the study found.
Congestion cost the U.S. more than $70.4 billion in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022.
The typical U.S. driver lost 42 hours to traffic congestion, equivalent to a full work week, and resulted in $733 worth of time lost, the report said. Across the country, this means more than $70 billion was lost to traffic congestion.
When the pandemic first began, INRIX noted that demand for road travel in the U.S. during the middle of the day was strong. That trend that continues today, and the analysts expect it to linger.
See the full study on traffic delays online here.
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