Rush hour commuters in the Portland area spent the equivalent of a full workweek stuck in traffic last year, according to a new study, six hours longer on average than in 2022.
Many other U.S. cities saw similar increases in congestion last year as traffic began approaching pre-pandemic levels. But Portland drivers still aren’t moving as slowly as they did in 2019 – congestion remains down by about 8% compared to drive times before COVID-19.
Traffic industry research firm Inrix studied 947 cities around the world last year, comparing congestion among the cities and to prior years. It also cataloged the busiest traffic corridors in each city and the slowest stretches of highway across the U.S.
Portland ranked No. 19 nationally in congestion in 2023, according to Inrix. Highway drivers were moving at an average speed of 31 miles per hour at peak times, compared to 45 miles per hour in the middle of the day.
The region’s busiest highway is U.S. 26 between downtown and Beaverton.
But the worst congestion was on Interstate 5, driving north toward Vancouver at 4 p.m. Inrix ranks that as the 15th-slowest rush hour traffic corridor in the entire country. Drivers lost 15 minutes a day there to traffic, the equivalent of 61 hours over a year.
(The nation’s most congested highway was Interstate 4 in Orlando, Florida, which cost drivers 31 minutes a day in slowdowns if they drove it during afternoon rush hour.)
Overall, traffic volumes in the Portland area remain below pre-pandemic peaks. The number of vehicles crossing Portland’s two freeway bridges over the Columbia River is down about 5% from 2019 and didn’t increase much last year.
Oregon transportation planners say traffic volumes across Portland highways are similar. But even a modest increase in traffic can create a big increase in congestion if roadways are already near capacity.
-- Mike Rogoway covers Oregon technology and the state economy. Reach him at mrogoway@oregonian.com.
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