Editorial: A Bottleneck of Traffic Bottlenecks
Houston, we have a problem. Actually, looking at the American Transportation Research Institute’s report on freight congestion locations, the problems are far wider than just Houston.
However, we’ll start with that city because four of the 10 worst truck choke points in the United States are located there.
That is a whole lot of wasted time and money trying to navigate that region, a critical crossroads in the southern portion of the United States.
About 800 miles east, it was Atlanta that earned the dubious distinction of being home to this year’s worst truck bottleneck.
The Tom Moreland Interchange is a five-level stack at the intersection of Interstate 285 and I-85. ATRI points out it is known locally as “Spaghetti Junction,” but truckers probably have many other names for this interchange.
The report also shows that truckers’ traffic pain is not limited to the southern portion of the United States. Spots in Chicago, just outside New York City, Los Angeles and Louisville, Kentucky, are among the other bottlenecks on the top 10 list.
Many of these areas have appeared high on ATRI’s list before, and it remains unfortunate that not enough appears to be changing fast enough.
This report is another reminder of the need for Congress to finalize a new highway funding bill. States have often cited the uncertainty surrounding federal funding as reasons they have slowed — or halted — critical road and bridge projects.
The ATRI report sparked an immediate reaction from the Coalition for Efficient and Responsible Trucking, which said it hopes more federal policymakers are convinced that inaction on trucking efficiency is not a viable option.
It also publicized a letter that nine CEOs from some of the nation’s largest freight shipping firms sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
The letter states that allowing twin-33 trailers on the nation’s interstates would mean 6.6 million fewer truck trips a year and prevent 912 accidents, based on data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The longer tractors also could eliminate the need for every ninth truck in the less-than-truckload sector.
Without question, size and weight is a tough topic, drawing passionate pleas from all sides of the debate.
We do hope, however, lawmakers will look closely at ATRI’s report to help educate themselves on the true costs of congestion as they iron out some critical decisions in the coming weeks.
