TRANSPORTATION
Top transportation stories to watch in 2023
2023 ANNUAL COMMUNITY GUIDE
Tarrant County has 11 of the busiest roads in the state
DELAYED DRIVING
According to the Texas A&M Transportation Initiative, there was an increase in tra c congestion in most parts of the state. Tarrant County had 11 of the top 100 busiest stretches of roadway in the state, including eight that were busier in 2021 than 2020.
2021 2020 Ranking by year
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BY CODY THORN
The 2021 numbers showed an increase, but the report stated the COVID-19 e ects still had conditions below the prepandemic congestion. The West Loop in Houston was the most gridlocked stretch in 2021 for the second year in a row, and eight of the top 10 remained unchanged from the previous two years. Researchers emphasized tra c will eventually return to familiar intensity as the state’s population grows and its economy recovers, according to a press release. “Tra c congestion isn’t just a big-city problem, and that problem is almost sure to get worse as our population surges by almost 20 mil- lion in the next 25 years,” said David Schrank, the TTI’s lead researcher on the annual study. “With that kind of growth, Texas needs to use every pos- sible means to keep people and goods moving. We need to add capacity,
5
287
6
30 34
1
Texas A&M Transportation Insti- tute’s annual report recently showed an increase in congested highways and streets in 2021. The report started in 2009 and rates the 100 busiest segments of roadways in the state with a study looking at congestion and the delay it costs in terms of time spent stuck in gridlock. There were 1,860 roadways in 23 urban areas that were reviewed during the study—funded by the Texas Department of Transportation— which looked at how much longer drivers were on the road in tra c jams compared to noncongested conditions. The delays have large nancial implications. According to research, a total of $3.8 billion was lost between wasted fuel and lost time in 2021. Truck congestion costs were $620 million.
9
14
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
23 1430
377
121
2
30
90 24 93 92 60 69 76 117
360
4
32
183
820
54
820
1
3
55
7
8
56 57 77 79
199
30
10
35
820
6
30
11
287
360
10
11
377
20
SOURCE: TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
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operate the system e ciently and give people options for how to travel.” The Dallas-Fort Worth area accounted for 37 of the top 100 busiest roadways—up from 34 in 2021. Tarrant County lays claim to 11 of the top 100
busiest roadways in Texas, including three in the top 25. I-35W between SH 183 and I-30 was sixth—up three spots—with more than 814,000 hours of delays and more than $70 million lost due to congestion.
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KELLER ROANOKE NORTHEAST FORT WORTH EDITION • JANUARY 2023
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