NJ Intersection Ranked Most Congested In U.S.

FORT LEE, NJ — The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) ranked the intersection of Interstate 95 and Route 4 in Fort Lee as the most congested section of highway in the country.

According to the ATRI, the 2022 Top Truck Bottleneck list measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on national highways.

The I-95 and Route 4 intersection has ranked number one on the list for four consecutive years. A report by nj.com states there isn’t room to widen the road to hold more vehicles, making it difficult to improve traffic in this area.

The study also ranked the intersection of Interstates 76 and 676 in Camden as 86th in the top 100 top truck bottlenecks. There is currently construction being done to rebuild the I-76/I-295/Route 42 interchange which could help traffic flow in the I-76/I-676 area.

According to the report, New Jersey has experienced an increase in traffic due to people returning to work as well as an increase in online order purchases.

In the report, Rebecca Brewster, president of the institute, said there are some ways to improve the traffic flow. Those include improving emergency management systems that can respond quicker to crashes and move damaged vehicles out of traffic lanes, having truckers drive and deliver at off-peak hours and using automatic toll gantries which would eliminate the need to slow down at toll booths. President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure law can also help improve traffic in the other bottlenecks.

“ATRI’s bottleneck list is a roadmap for federal and state administrators responsible for prioritizing infrastructure investments throughout the country. Every year, ATRI’s list highlights the dire needs for modernizing and improving our roads and bridges,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear in a ATRI press release. “We have seen, mostly in Pittsburgh, that the cost of doing nothing could also cost lives. It’s time to fund these projects and get our supply chain moving again.”

To view the entire 2022 Top Truck Bottleneck list, click here.

Here are the top 10, according to the data:

1. Fort Lee: I-95 at Route 4
2. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
3. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
4. Atlanta I-285 at I-85 (North)
5. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
6. Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
7. Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57
8. Dallas: I-45 at I-30
9. San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15
10. Chattanooga, Tennessee: I-75 at I-24