HOUSTON, Texas — Anyone who drives in Houston probably won't be surprised to learn that we're home to six of the 10 most congested roadways in Texas.
The 610 West Loop has the worst traffic jams in the Lone Star State.
"It’s infamous,” former trucker Texann Jones told us. "Everybody avoids the West Loop as much as they can."
The I-69/59 from I-10 to 288 landed in the number two spot for the first time. Roadways in Dallas and Austin ranked third and fourth. The Southwest Freeway/59 between the 610 West Loop and 288 claimed the number five spot.
Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute compiles the annual list using all sorts of data.
They site Houston's booming population, the fact that most people here would rather drive their own vehicle than rely on public transportation and that never-ending headache.
"There’s a lot of construction in this state and in Houston,” TAMU Transportation Institute Senior Research Scientist David Schrank said.
The latest research shows that Texas drivers spent 7% longer sitting in traffic last year than the previous year, but it’s still below pre-pandemic levels.
"And now we have a little additional help from some work from home, hybrid environment that has changed traffic patterns a little bit,” Schrank said.
Information from TAMU's annual report is used to plan freeway and other transportation projects.
Meanwhile, Jones said everyone can do their part to make driving more bearable.
"You know, if everybody cooperates it would be much better and there wouldn’t be as much frustration,” Jones said.
Experts agree, especially considering the number of people moving to Texas each year equals the population of Corpus Christi.