Rush Hour Traffic On Bay Bridge Now Lasts 7 Hours, Topping 10 Worst Local Commutes
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - If it feels like you just can't leave work early enough to beat the Bay Bridge traffic to the East Bay, you're right, according to the first comprehensive congestion from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission since 2009.
The drive eastbound from San Francisco is now the most congested roadway in the Bay Area, with congestion typically lasting from 1:25 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, topping the MTC's list of the 50 most congested drives using data from 2013.
"'Congested delay,'" which the Commission defines as time spent in traffic moving at speeds of 35 miles per hour or less, rose 18 percent in 2013 to an average of 2.6 minutes per commuter each weekday in 2013 from 2.2 minutes in 2012. This marks the Bay Area's highest level of congested delay on a per-commuter basis in at least 15 years," reads a news release from the MTC.
Data finds that people spend 6,900 in traffic on the bridge during an average weekday, that equates to 287.5 human days lost each commute.
The 2nd worst drive is 880 in the East Bay, where people spend 5,600 hours in traffic during the morning commute.
The third most congested roadway was Highway 101 in Santa Clara County, which costs drivers 5,500 each day.
In 2008, the drive on 80 Westbound through Contra Costa County to the Bay Bridge was the worst commute, but that's now considered the 4th worst drive in the Bay Area. Here's a look at the complete top ten:
Get current Bay Area road conditions on the CBS SF Traffic Page.