Traffic Bottlenecks: Tampa Has 1 Of The Worst In U.S.

TAMPA, FL — It probably comes as no surprise to metro Tampa drivers that one of the city's interchanges is on the 2022 Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks List.

The intersection of Interstate 4 at Interstate 275 in Tampa is ranked No. 69 on the list; it is the only Florida interchange on the list.

According to the study by the American Transportation Research Institute, the average speed at the site is 41.6 miles per hour; the peak average speed at that location has dropped 11.8 percent in the past year.

The list is compiled each year by the American Transportation Research Institute to measure the level of truck-involved congestion at more than 300 locations across the national highway system.

The South is home to three of the top 5 worst bottlenecks. Here are the nightmare interchanges:

1. Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4
2. Cincinnati, OH: I-71 at I-75
3. Houston, TX: I-45 at I-69/US 59
4. Atlanta, GA: I-285 at I-85 (North)
5. Atlanta, GA: I-20 at I-285 (West)

ATRI compiles the congestion impact ranking using GPS data from more than 1 million freight trucks, along with several customized software applications and analysis methods, and terabytes of data from trucking operations.

The data also is used to support the U.S. Department of Transportation's Freight Mobility Initiative, Institute officials said.

In addition, the analysis that was pulled from 2021 data found that traffic levels across the country rebounded as more Americans returned to work and demand for consumer goods and services bounced back following the early months of the pandemic. The result was bottlenecking in supply chains, ATRI President and CEO Chris Spear said.

"ATRI's bottleneck list is a roadmap for federal and state administrators responsible for prioritizing infrastructure investments throughout the country," Spear said. "Every year, ATRI's list highlights the dire needs for modernizing and improving our roads and bridges. We have seen, most recently in Pittsburgh, that the cost of doing nothing could also cost lives. It's time to fund these projects and get our supply chains moving again."

For a list of all 100 bottlenecks ranked and a full list of the report, go to ATRI's website.