Report finds worsened congestion, slower truck speeds across highway bottlenecks

A new American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) report reveals worsened congestion and slower truck speeds across the top five truck bottlenecks in the nation.

According to the report, average truck speeds have decreased by about five percent across the top five bottlenecks, adding to a list of issues for the Trump administration to address as it prepares to unveil an infrastructure package.

A bottleneck in Atlanta, Ga., takes the No. 1 spot for the worst congestion ranking, followed by Fort Lee, N.J. Chicago, Ill., ranks No. 3, followed by a second Atlanta bottleneck in fourth place. Los Angeles, Calif., takes the No. 5 spot. 

This congestion, the report says, translates to 996 million hours of lost productivity for truckers, which costs approximately $63.4 billion for the country’s highway system.

“The trucking industry can’t bear that cost alone, so that’s a cost that’s being borne by the entire supply chain,” ATRI President Rebecca Brewster told The Hill in an interview.

Consumers and trucking companies, Brewster says, will be forced to bear the cost, which will ultimately increase the price of goods.

ATRI prepares the report annually to provide research to the trucking industry. {mosads}

The study surveyed 300 locations around the country for this year’s report, an increase from the 250 locations it surveyed in the report published last year.

The top three spots on this year’s list match those of last year’s. A bottleneck in Louisville, Ky., which had the No. 4 spot last year, moved to the No. 10 spot this year. The fifth worst congestion spot last year, in Cincinnati, Ohio, dropped to No. 9 in this year’s report. 

The report’s release coincides with President Trump’s announcement that he will discuss his administration’s proposal for a $1.7 trillion infrastructure plan next week during his State of the Union address. 

“If something is not done to improve the infrastructure, we’re all going to continue to pay the price,” Brewster said in the interview. 

The bottleneck report also comes after a document purporting to detail the administration’s principles for an infrastructure package leaked earlier this week.