[Chronicle] Harris County Home to 6 of the Top 10 Most Congested Roads in Texas

Here's the complete list of 100 : http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/rider56/list.htm?item=0

Here's their methodology : http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/rider56/RegionalMaps/howTheSegmentsWereIdentified.pdf

 

any Houston traffic has nothing on LA. Nothing. I've lived in both cities, I know

 

Lazy *ss.

 

I almost did the same thing but it isn't worth it.

SwoLy, you seriously need a break from the board.

 

Agree, when i've gone visiting friends and family it has been a nightmare during the traditional non-rush hour times. I remember going out at 2 am and there was a traffic jam, I want to say the 405, and no accident lol...just insane.

 

I'll try not to gleefully talk about how we dont have these kind of problems on the east side.

At the worst during rush hour, Im delayed maybe 5-10 minutes as I get close to the loop inbound on the Beast(Baytown East Freeway for the uninitiated)

Delays on 225 headed from here to Pasadena?...fuggidaboutit...there aint none.

 

That's because Pasadena is a turd. No one ever wants to drive out there

 

Once it hits 3o'clock on weekdays forget it, I don’t go near 290.
The Cypress area has blown up, I really believe they underestimated how fast it's growing. Even the back streets are jammed from people coming off and going on to 290. I've noticed they are widening some of the side streets that hit the highway.
Every now and then I'll check this site to see if there is any progress on the expansion of 290. http://www.my290.com/

 

That doesn't matter because we are the 6th largest metro area, which includes the suburbs.

What REALLY matters is county size. Harris County is larger than Dallas + Collin or Tarrant county combined (in either land size, or population). That's why Harris County is in it more.

 

Lucky for the 290 commuters, your expansion includes commuter rail. John Culberson and his squad of idiots wouldn't let the residents out in Katy work with METRO to get commuter rail. So, instead of the tollway, it would have been a commuter rail (but still a one lane HOV each way).

 

From the OP:

This is why 290 doesn't show up on the list. 290 is a parking lot almost all day long. Unless it is between 9pm and 5am, 290 never "flows freely". It is slow even when it is not rush hour.

 

Very very true.

 

290 is not that bad believe it or not. It takes me 35-40 minutes to drive from 290 and west rd to 59 and chimney rock. 20 minutes of that is the strecth on 610 between 290 and 59 (galleria area), which i think is the most congested portion of freeway in town. (this is at 8:20am in the morning)

 

It's surprising that southbond SH 288 from downton to Airport blvd didn't make the top 100, it's a parking lot from 4-6:30 pm, with people riding on the shoulders

It's also surprising that US 59 from IH 610 to SH 288 was ranked only 21st. Traffic is crazy right at Spur -527 exit, with people trying to merge on to 59. It's even bad at noon and on weekends.

 

Going northbound? That was the worst design I have ever seen. It is not very common to have an exit off a major freeway on the left hand lanes. People are in those 2 left lanes flying then all of the sudden, realize those lanes are exiting onto a different road. Whoever designed that should be fired.

 

When I was driving to UH every morning, it would take me about an hour from the Aldine area to UH (a little over 15 miles).

 

Ok so now that I'm done laughing at those of you complaining about Houston traffic, here's my encouragement to you, and one of my major gripes at LA:

Houston is DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Houston KNOWS it has traffic problems. Houston KNOWS it is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing metropolitan area in the US. Houston then try to alleviate the problems by introducing carpool lanes, toll roads, new high ways, new railways, expanding existing highways. Just think pre-expanded I-10. Now it's one of the sexiest highways you can drive on in Houston. Ok so maybe the solutions may not keep up with population and traffic growth, but at least it beats nothing at all.

Which brings me to LA. LA knows it has one of the worst traffic in the US. What has LA done? Nothing. No plans are set in to expand highways, because ANY construction would be like cutting off one of the city's arteries. Constructions on 405 has been going on forever with no end in sight, and that's the ONLY construction I see on highways. Traffic is horrible now, and traffic will continue to be horrible and grow worse and worse the next 20-30 years.

The thing is that sometimes, you've just gotta live with it. Both Houstonians and LA-ites (er, LA-ians? no clue)

I feel ok now that I got that off my chest

 

i would take the bus/train if it didnt take 4 hours more ..and i didnt have a feeling that i was going to get mugged or killed on my way home from work.

 

says a guy that lives and only drives in the suburbs. As someone who lived off I10 most of my life, I can agree with all the other posters and say it is 1000 times better.

That ranking is from sometime i 2008