Traffic Bottlenecks

[JStanley]

Where are the worst traffic bottlenecks in the U.S. and Canada?
I read that the trucking industry used GPS to identify 100 worst bottlenecks in the U.S. What Airstreamer doesn’t want to avoid the heavy traffic around the big cities? Especially during so-called ‘rush hour,’ that can last for several hours and twice a day.
So, where are they and what are the recommended detours around them?
Is there a planning app for RVs to bypass the worst ones?

[overlander63]

Traffic bottlenecks? #1: Southern California
#2 D.C.
#3 Chicago
#4 Atlanta
#5 Miami/Dade and environs

[AWCHIEF]

In my opinion #1 is Atlanta. I hate driving anywhere near that city 24/7.

[Troutboy]

I agree, Atlanta is the worst, but now living in Denver, I am convinced any large city is horrible. The more population, the worse it is. Greater Denver Area is 2.8M, greater Atlanta is 5.5 million. I think any with 2M plus is just bad.

I google greater area of XX population, if over 2M I avoid in motioning and after work times.

[STREMN]

Boston, MA -
Rt 93
Rt 90 Mass Pike
Rt 128 Around Boston

[kendrick.l.j]

Atlanta is the worst followed closely by Los Angeles. The only time to travel through Atlanta is early Sunday morning. Atlanta morning rush hour starts at 5:30am and goes to about 9:30, evening rush hour starts at 3:30 and goes to about 8:00 except on Friday nights when it is raining then it may run until 10:00. I lived there for 20 years and the joke on Friday was you had all weekend to get home. Then again there are times when for no special reason everything goes great and you can run 80mph all the way through so no telling. The rules of driving in Atl are different from other places that I have driven, the far right hand lane speed should be 60 mph and for each lane to the left the mph goes up 10 so by the time you make it over the the 4th lane or the far left hand lane you should be going about 90mph with someone drafting off your back bumper. If this bothers you please stay in the far right lane and expect to get run over at any second or, lately, shot which is why I left Atlanta. Other than that it's fine.

[Caffeinated]

Hey, let's give the PNW it's due. Seattle sucks, 24/7 and Portland is a pita too.

Mike

[McDave]

On Fridays, everybody from the SF Bay Area goes to Lake Tahoe, so I-80 eastbound will be jammed. On Sunday afternoons, everybody goes home, so I-80 westbound will be jammed, particularly I-80 just west of Sacramento where I-80 and Business 80 merge.

[Len n Jeanne]

The southern "toe" of Lake Michigan in northern Indiana & Illinois, and around Chicago. Several interstates converge, and there aren't a lot of exits that are obvious for gas or rest-stops. Then a bunch of the routes are toll roads.

We're also not keen on I-15 along the Wasatch Front in Utah. This is the only major north-south Interstate route between I-5 in California and I-25 through Denver. The commuter traffic beings around Ogden and ends around Santaquin. There often seems to be construction. There are some belt routes and alternatives, depending on your direction. In the plus column for I-15, some of these alternatives are remote, slow, or indirect, and one involves a pass, so we generally do I-15 if it's snow season. There are also HOV lanes, but we feel kinda funny using them towing a trailer.

In driving from BC to the Mojave desert in California for a winter break, highways 93 and 95 through Nevada are good if the forecast is clear, but they're pretty remote In a bad snowstorm there aren't a lot of towns to stop in.

[Rich W]

I-75 north and south, around Sarasota, FL, about MM 227 to 211. From early in the day until after 6 PM it's mostly stop and go for about 16 miles. There's construction going on but I have never seen any of the lanes blocked. Traffic is moving about 25 mph when it's moving. It's supposed to be completed by fall of 2017. I tried moving from lane to lane but found that all 3 lanes eventually get to MM 211 about the same pace. I think it's just very heavy traffic all day long. I think the construction is to add another lane in that area.

I don't know of any easy way around it, Garmin says I'm on the fastest route when I'm heading down that way. I try to go extremely early or after 6 PM. Traffic is still very heavy but it's moving 70-80.

[tjdonahoe]

Never had any on 2 lane skinny roads, heck very little traffic, and you see more...you can go coast to coast on them

[featherbedder]

90 East of 294 by Ohare airport is much worse than around south end of lake.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Never had any on 2 lane skinny roads, heck very little traffic, and you see more...you can go coast to coast on them

I dunno, we were on Siesta Key last night, left the Lobster Pot restaurant about 6:30 and got in behind the Budweiser Clydesdales and wagon for about a mile, pretty slow going, but yes, we did get to see more

[Gearheart]

Toronto in Ontario Canada. Any place near water is bad. Need to use a bridge? That is worse.

[majorairhead]

I95 between Washington DC and Richmond can get busy from time to time, so much so that at times we'll go 81 south to avoid it.

[D44]

Shout out for I-95 / New Jersey Tpke / George Washington Bridge in Metro NYC area. Rush hour is pretty much 24/7

[Len n Jeanne]

Originally Posted by Gearheart

Toronto in Ontario Canada. Any place near water is bad. Need to use a bridge? That is worse.

Oh, for sure. I don't envy your drive on the 401 or QEW. Taking a bridge to the US at one of the major crossings from Ontario can take hours.

[xrvr]

Any road through any college town during a football home game.