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Truckers over a billion hours sitting in traffic every year, making shipping even more expensive. See the 10 worst bottlenecks.

Truckers over a billion hours sitting in traffic every year, making shipping even more expensive. See the 10 worst bottlenecks.

Bianca Giacobone

The intersection of I-95 at SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey has been the most congested bottleneck for trucks in the US for five years in a row.Getty Images

A highway intersection outside of New York City is the US' most congested bottleneck for trucks.
Congestion added over $42 billion to the cost of freight transportation in 2019.

As the transportation system works to become more sustainable, low-carbon fuels for cars and trucks, get a lot of attention. But there's a big, old problem that's costing the country money, time, and carbon dioxide emissions: traffic.

Chicago is considered one of the most congested cities for trucks, with two bottlenecks in the top 10 most congested bottlenecks in the US, and five in the top 100. Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Highway congestion adds tens of billions of dollars to the cost of freight transportation each year — nearly $75 billion in 2016, and over $42 billion in 2019, according to the most recent available data. Truck drivers, who move more than 70% of US freight, sit in traffic for over 1 billion hours per year, burning fuel, and emitting carbon dioxide.

At a Senate hearing in February, Chris Spear of the American Trucking Association said reducing traffic is the best and simplest way to reduce emissions in the short term.

Truck drivers sit in traffic for over 1 billion hours per year. Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images

"Reducing idling hours and time wasted in stop-and-go traffic on our nation's highway bottlenecks will make more efficient use of every gallon of fuel burned," he said, adding that "congestion serves as a brake on economic growth and job creation nationwide."

The American Transportation Research Institute recently released a list of the 100 most congested bottlenecks for trucks in the US.

The intersection of I-85 and I-285 in Atlanta, Georgia, is known as 'Spaghetti Junction' and it is one of the most congested bottlenecks in the US. Getty Images

According to the institute's analysis, which uses GPS data to identify where freight trucks are forced to sit idle, the "average rush hour truck speeds were 36.3 MPH, down more than six percent from the previous year."

These are the top 10 most congested bottlenecks for trucks, ranked from best to worst:

10. San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15

San Bernardino, CA: I-10 at I-15. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

9. Nashville, Tennessee: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)

Nashville, TN: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East). Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

8. Los Angeles, California: I-710 at I-105

Los Angeles, CA: I-710 at I-105. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

7. Los Angeles, California: SR 60 at SR 57

Los Angeles, CA: SR 60 at SR 57. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

6. Chicago, Illinois: I-290 at I-90/I-94

Chicago, IL: I-290 at I-90/I-94. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

5. Atlanta, Georgia: I-20 at I-285 (West)

Atlanta, GA: I-20 at I-285 (West) Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

4. Atlanta, Georgia: I-285 at I-85 (North)

Atlanta, GA: I-285 at I-85 (North), nicknamed "Spaghetti Junction." Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

3. Houston, Texas: I-45 at I-69/US 59

Houston, TX: I-45 at I-69/US 59. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

2. Chicago, Illinois: I-294 at I-290/I-88

Chicago, IL: I-294 at I-290/I-88. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

1. Fort Lee, New Jersey: I-95 at SR 4

Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4. The intersection of I-95 at SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey has been the most congested bottleneck for trucks in the US for five years in a row. Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute