New Jersey intersection ranks as worst truck bottleneck in the nation

February 13, 2019

Tyson Fisher

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After three consecutive years of being crowned as the most congested truck bottleneck in the nation, “Spaghetti Junction” in Atlanta is no longer the worst. That top honor goes to the intersection of Interstate 95 and SR 4 in Fort Lee, N.J., according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

Each year, ATRI compiles a list of the top 100 truck bottlenecks in the United States. Information is based on truck GPS data from nearly 1 million heavy-duty trucks.

For the past three years, the intersection of Interstate 285 and Interstate 85 North, also known as Spaghetti Junction, has ranked as the most congested bottleneck for truckers. This year, the intersection of Interstate 95 and SR 4 in Fort Lee, N.J., climbed to number one.

This is not the first time the Fort Lee intersection has been considered the worst bottleneck. The intersection ranked first in 2014.

The top 10 bottlenecks:

  1. Fort Lee: I-95 at SR 4.
  2. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North).
  3. Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North).
  4. Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57.
  5. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59.
  6. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75.
  7. Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94.
  8. Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East).
  9. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West).
  10. Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105.

Compared to 2018, it appears congestion is only getting worse across the nation. On average, truck speeds at the top 10 locations decreased by nearly 9 percent. The intersection of I-94 at US 52 in St. Paul, Minn., dropped by nearly 19 percent to 28.6 mph, putting it on the map. That same intersection did not make the list last year, but ranked 86th this year.

On the other hand, average speeds at the intersection of I-15 at SR 91 in Corona, Calif., increased by more than 22 percent from 29.9 mph to 36.5 mph. Improvements at that intersection dropped its ranking to 80th from 45th the previous year. The next largest increase was 8.8 percent at the intersection of I-10 at I-69/US 59 in Houston with average speeds of 34 mph.

Houston has the most entries with nine intersections in the top 100, ranging in rank from fifth to 100th. Close behind was Atlanta, with six entries. However, Atlanta had three entries in the top 10.