If you are from America and you are traveling a lot by car, you have probably found yourself on one of these 11 busiest highways in America.
For a common man who is trying to get on time to work, or for a trucker that has a tight deadline for a delivery, there is nothing worse than a traffic jam. The clock is ticking, you are running out of time, and the traffic is slow. It is a bit better if you are in one of 11 countries with the best roads in the world, but it’s still nerve wrecking. Unfortunately, the USA is not one of these countries.
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Car travelers in the USA are not losing just their time and nerves on busy highways; they are losing money as well, leaving their car running, while they are waiting for the car in front of them to inch their way through traffic. The USA is one of the countries that have most problems with traffic congestion. The situation is even worst during the holidays, when even non-frequent highways can be jammed and packed with cars.
It is estimated that in 2014, American travelers wasted 6.9 billion hours more than they should have and purchased an extra 3.1 billion gallons of fuel due to busy highways. The problem is getting more and more serious every year. Texas A&M Transportation Institute has found that in 1982, 18 hours and 4 gallons of fuel on average, per single vehicle, were wasted in the traffic, and now the figure stands at 42 hours and 19 gallons.
Because of this, we bring you 11 busiest highways in America according to the average annual daily traffic estimated by U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration so you can avoid them and find an alternative way, saving on time and fuel. This is the only relevant list that covers the highways themselves, since all the others are based just on the area. Featured on the list are the most crowded parts (urban areas) of the highways in America. To give you the most accurate data, we checked out how many times did the parts of the same highway appeared on the list, summed up their Average annual daily traffic and got our ranking.
11. I-45
Average annual daily traffic: 310,662
The busiest part of this highway that connects Huston and Dallas is located in Huston. It is a short highway with 284.91 miles of length that stays in borders of the state Texas.
10. US-101
Average annual daily traffic: 321,000 vehicles
With US 101 being 808.1 miles long, the amount of road rage must be pretty high. Fun fact is that road segment across the Golden Gate Bridge is not officially recognized as part of the state highway system.
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9. US-59
Average annual daily traffic: 323,092 vehicles
With blazing guns, we enter Texas once again, where the busiest section of this highway is located. US-59 dates from 1935 and its 612.2 miles long.
8. I-110
Average annual daily traffic: 328,000
Formed in 1978, this highway is pretty short, with 23.73 miles of length. But with so many cars on a daily basis, it must seem that it takes eternity driving on it.
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7. I-90
Average annual daily traffic: 329,542
108-mile long interstate can get pretty damn crowded in Chicago, especially in the part of The Chicago Skyway.
6. 60
Average annual daily traffic: 337,000
This highway has a hefty number of vehicles per day, and we are talking about 70 miles of highway. So many cars on such small length can never be good.
5. I-405
Average annual daily traffic: 374,000
Frankly, we wouldn’t like to be in the skin of someone living in California since from 11 busiest highways in America, many of them are leading to California. I-405 is 72.415 miles long, formed in 1964.
4. I-10
Average annual daily traffic: 550,785
When it comes to length of 2,460.34 miles, I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States. It spawns all the way from the Pacific Ocean to Florida. Its most busiest sections are in Phoenix and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana.
3. 91
Average annual daily traffic: 585,000
59.047 miles long, this highway was built in 1964, and the main part of its daily traffic happens on sections Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana and Riverside-San Bernardino.
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2. I-5
Average annual daily traffic: 935,000
We get closer to the end with 796.4 miles long highway starting at the Mexican border and ending in Santa Ana. Most crowded section of this highway is one located in Mission Viejo.
1. I-95
Average annual daily traffic: 1,239,561
This interstate is 382 miles long and its section in Miami is most crowded and congested, especially during the holidays, when everyone wants to catch some sun. Also, what makes it the most congested of all 11 busiest highways in America is the fact that the highway’s sections in New Jersey and Virginia are among the busiest in America.
