Spaghetti Junction Tops List of Worst Truck Bottlenecks for Third Year in a Row

News provided by

American Transportation Research Institute

Jan 25, 2018, 07:55 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute today released its annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, seven of which are in Atlanta including the number one worst location for truck congestion in the country, I-285 at I-85 North.

The 2018 Top Truck Bottleneck List assesses the level of truck-oriented congestion at 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on truck GPS data from more than 800,000 heavy duty trucks uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI's truck GPS data is used to support the FHWA-sponsored Freight Performance Measures initiative. The locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations.

"As a hub of commerce and transportation in the Southeast, Atlanta is a vital junction for the flow of goods, and ATRI's research shows us where that flow gets disrupted by congestion," said Georgia Motor Trucking Association President Ed Crowell. "Congestion costs our industry and consumers billions of dollars and that is why we urge policy makers to come up with a bold plan to rebuild and modernize our roads and bridges and use ATRI's bottlenecks report as a roadmap for where investments are most needed."

In addition to Spaghetti Junction (No. 1), the other Georgia bottlenecks on the top 100 list are:

No. 4 Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North)
No. 17 Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
No. 46 Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (East)
No. 79 Atlanta: I-20 at I-75/I-85
No. 90 Atlanta: I-75 at I-85
No. 95 Atlanta: I-75 at I-675

"As the issue of infrastructure investment comes to the forefront on the national stage, ATRI's report on truck bottlenecks could not come at a better time," said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "The safe and efficient movement of freight should be a top priority in any infrastructure package, and this report identifies the areas where investment is most needed. Finding long-term, sustainable funding – like our proposed Build America Fund – to address these needs is critical and we urge Congress and the Administration to quickly move forward on a plan to tackle this growing crisis."

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, visit ATRI's top 100 list by clicking here.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

*** Reporters/Media – Conference Call to Discuss Bottleneck List with ATRI ***
Date and Time: Thursday, January 25, 2018, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET
Call-in Number: (855) 287-5188, when prompted enter Conference ID: 21390

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute