Report Ranks Worst Traffic Bottlenecks In The Country
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new report from the American Highway Users Alliance called "Unclogging America's Arteries" ranks the 50 worst traffic bottlenecks in the country.
Philadelphia cracks the list twice.
At Number 36 on the list it's 76 at Route 1 between City Avenue and the Roosevelt Boulevard, where the report says 700,000 hours are lost a year to gridlock; burning $16 million and 263,000 gallons of wasted fuel.
Number 47, it's the Vine Street Expressway between 76 and 24th Street, where 300,000 hours are lost with a $6 million dollar hit.
"The roads weren't designed to handle the capacity. And then when you factor in minor fender benders and then major incidents, you just create this gridlock," says Rob Henry with local transportation agency, GVF.
So, what can be done? One example he cites: HOV lanes.
"If you're carpooling or vanpooling, or on a bus, or on a shuttle you get a dedicated lane that moves through and that's happening in other parts of the country."
He says more carpooling, mass transit use, biking and other changes can reduce congestion by up to 20 percent.
I-90 in Chicago topped the rankings. The Los Angeles region had the most roadways on the list at 12.