Chicago has the top two worst freight bottlenecks in the country, according to the “2009 Bottleneck Analysis of 100 Freight Significant Highway Locations.”
The report, released by the Federal Highway Administration and the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), in Arlington, Va., tracks congestion severity at each of the 100 locations that are currently monitored. The research effort uses GPS information, including average speed at peak and off-peak times, to assess the level at which truck-based freight was affected by traffic congestion throughout 2009.
ATRI compiled the data into a congestion index.
The top five worst freight choke points are:
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I-290 at I-90/I-94 in Chicago;
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I-90 at I-94 (North) in Chicago;
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I-95 at SR-4 in Fort Lee, N.J.;
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I-35 in Austin, Texas; and
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I-285 at I-85 (North) in Atlanta.
The FHWA also announced a new technology tool will help transportation planners, operators and private shippers and carriers plan ahead by identifying key traffic choke points on some of the nation's busiest roads.
"We are always looking for new and creative ideas that will enable us to move goods more efficiently, conserve energy, protect the environment and ensure we can compete globally in the 21st century," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.
"It's all about using innovative technology to save time and money and to boost commerce and the economy," Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said. "Timely and accurate information on freight movement will benefit both government and the private sector in making transportation decisions."
State and local transportation agencies can use the information to prioritize their highway investments to target critical congestion needs. At the same time, businesses and freight companies can use it to more strategically time and choose their routes to avoid congested areas.
The new Freight Performance Measures web-based tool, FPMweb, measures operating speeds for trucks at any given place and point in time along 25 interstate highways that are considered significant freight routes.
Developed through a multiyear FHWA research initiative with the ATRI, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research trust, FPMweb is a first-of-its-kind effort to capture information on truck travel speeds from around the country through on-board GPS and satellite technology. Low speeds reflect congestion levels at a particular location and time of day.
