And the winner is … Fort Lee, N.J.
Fort Lee, N.J., is once again the recipient of a title no one wants.
For the seventh consecutive year, Interstate 95 at state Route 4 in Fort Lee, N.J., is the worst truck bottleneck in the country, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
Houston and Atlanta also made several appearances in the top 10 list for 2025 (2024 ranks are in parenthesis):
- Fort Lee – I-95 at state Route 4 (1)
- Chicago – Interstate 294 at Interstate 290/Interstate 88 (2)
- Houston – Interstate 45 at Interstate 69/U.S. 59 (4)
- Atlanta – Interstate 285 at Interstate 85 North (5)
- Nashville – Interstate 24/Interstate 40 at Interstate 440 East (10)
- Atlanta – Interstate 75 at I-285 North (12)
- Los Angeles – state Route 60 at state Route 57 (7)
- Cincinnati – Interstate 71 at Interstate 75 (14)
- Houston – Interstate 10 at I-45 (8)
- Atlanta – Interstate 20 at I-285 West (6)
Noticeably absent from 2025’s truck bottleneck top 10 list is Interstate 55 in Chicago. Last year, that section of the interstate was ranked third. This year, it dropped to the No. 21 spot.
At one point, I-290 at Interstate 90/Interstate 94 (Jane Byrne Interchange) in Chicago was the worst truck bottleneck for three consecutive years. Now, it is ranked No. 15.
ATRI attributes improvements in Chicago to infrastructure investments. Rush-hour truck speeds at the Byrne interchange improved by nearly 25% after construction was completed.
“Delays inflicted on truckers by congestion are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” ATRI President Rebecca Brewster said in a statement. “These metrics are getting worse, but the good news is that states do not need to accept the status quo. Illinois was once home to the top bottleneck in the country, but following a sustained effort to expand capacity, the Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago no longer ranks in the top 10. This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions and drive economic growth.”
There was also a significant improvement in Atlanta. I-285 at state Route 400 was ranked ninth last year but plummeted to the No. 29 spot this year. That portion of the highway also underwent major improvement through the Transform 285/400 project.
ATRI’s report also reveals that congestion has gotten worse since last year. Average rush hour truck speeds were 34.2 mph, down by 3% compared to the previous year. At the top 10 truck bottlenecks, rush-hour speeds were slower, at 29.7 mph. Two-thirds of the top 100 bottlenecks had average truck speeds of less than 45 mph. LL