Sequestration gives District an easier commute

WASHINGTON – It’s no surprise: Traffic in and around the District is bad.

But how bad? A new study offers commuters some perspective.

INRIX, a company that analyzes traffic data, says D.C.’s traffic is the ninth-worst in the country. A different congestion index from TomTom recently ranked the region as having the eighth-worst.

Another recent study from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute said area drivers have the country’s worst commute.

However, Jim Bak, co-author of the INRIX Traffic Scorecard, says the sequester has definitely impacted traffic in the nation’s capital.

“In its first three months of 2013, traffic is up across America 4 percent. But in the D.C. area, it’s actually down 5 percent,” says Bak. “Just last month, compared to March of 2012, traffic in D.C. is down 11 percent.”

But even if traffic has gotten comparatively better, there are still plenty of problems for commuters.

Bak says the worst spot in the region is Interstate 95 between Russell Road in Quantico, Va., to the Springfield Interchange.

During the Friday rush, the average drive on that 23-mile stretch takes about 95 minutes.

“Drivers waste on average 41 hours a year in traffic,” says Bak.

“If you look at it from the perspective of a 40-hour work week, you basically waste a week’s vacation in traffic.”

Here’s the INRIX list of the top 100 cities with the worst traffic:

  1. Los Angeles
  2. Honolulu
  3. San Francisco
  4. Austin
  5. New York
  6. Bridgeport
  7. San Jose
  8. Seattle
  9. D.C.
  10. Boston
  11. Miami
  12. Chicago
  13. Portland OR
  14. Houston
  15. San Diego
  16. Philadelphia
  17. Baltimore
  18. Minneapolis
  19. Tampa
  20. Atlanta
  21. Dallas
  22. Baton Rouge
  23. Virginia Beach
  24. Denver
  25. Orlando
  26. Charlotte
  27. New Haven
  28. Hartford
  29. Nashville
  30. New Orleans
  31. Detroit
  32. Columbus
  33. Milwaukee
  34. Oxnard
  35. Raleigh
  36. Sacramento
  37. San Antonio
  38. Las Vegas
  39. Pittsburgh
  40. Phoenix
  41. Jacksonville
  42. Providence
  43. Cincinnati
  44. El Paso
  45. Riverside
  46. Worcester
  47. Greenville
  48. Colorado Springs
  49. Indianapolis
  50. Louisville
  51. St. Louis
  52. Chattanooga
  53. Buffalo
  54. Springfield
  55. Cleveland
  56. Harrisburg
  57. Allentown
  58. Ogden
  59. Akron
  60. Oklahoma City
  61. Memphis
  62. Modesto
  63. Salt Lake City
  64. Little Rock
  65. Charleston
  66. Scranton
  67. Boise City
  68. Kansas City
  69. Bakersfield
  70. Stockton
  71. Grand Rapids
  72. Birmingham
  73. Knoxville
  74. Albany
  75. Fresno
  76. Toledo
  77. Poughkeepsie
  78. Tulsa
  79. McAllen
  80. Rochester
  81. Jackson
  82. Provo
  83. Columbia
  84. Sarasota
  85. Albuquerque
  86. Dayton
  87. Syracuse
  88. Tucson
  89. Lakeland
  90. Des Moines
  91. Madison
  92. Youngstown
  93. Richmond
  94. Portland, Maine
  95. Augusta
  96. Melbourne
  97. Omaha
  98. Fort Myers
  99. Wichita
  100. Greensboro

WTOP’s Ari Ashe contributed to this report. Follow @AriAsheWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.

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