Report: Congestion On Stevenson Wastes Tons Of Time, Fuel
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new study is out on the most congested expressways in the country.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports, you might take one of them regularly.
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During the morning rush, the Texas Transportation Institute says in its 2011 Congested Corridors Report the inbound Stevenson Expressway between LaGrange and Pulaski roads is the Chicago area's worst stretch of congestion, wasting 140,000 hours of your time over the course of a year.
In the afternoon, traffic bogs down and wastes your time between State Street and Pulaski Road, with 300,000 wasted hours sitting bumper-to-bumper in a year, not to mention burning off 757,000 gallons of gas going nowhere.
Despite how bad that is, California expressways easily corner the nationwide market on traffic congestion, wasted gas, and time.
The 2011 Congested Corridors Report measured 328 corridors, defined as a stretch of expressway at least 3 miles long.
"Until now, we've been able to measure average congestion levels," Texas Transportation Institute Research Engineer Bill Eisele said in a news release, "but congestion isn't an 'average' problem. Commuters and truckers are understandably frustrated when they can't count on a predictable trip time from day to day."
The report urges considering all congestion solutions, from expanded transit facilities to aggressive crash removal, and from telecommuting and flexible work hours for employees who have to commute, to denser development so driving is not required as often.
Just on Monday, mass transit customers found some relief on the Stevenson.
The expressway opened its shoulders to Pace buses during the morning and evening rush between Interstate 355 and Kedzie Avenue. The two-year experimental program allows the buses to use the shoulder when traffic is congested.
