The Struggle Is Real: Bergen's Traffic Jam Is The Worst In The U.S.

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — What a trucking nightmare.

Bergen County is home to the worst truck bottleneck in the nation, according to an annual list released by the American Transportation Research Institute.

The junction of Interstate 95 and State Route 4 in Fort Lee, where traffic funnels onto the George Washington Bridge and the average speed is 26.8 mph, was ranked as the most congested bottleneck in the U.S.

Peak-hour speeds at the interchange averaged at 20.2 mph in 2022, which is 9.1% slower than in 2021, producing migraines for tens of thousands of truckers. Non-peak speeds clocked in at 33.4 mph, the ATRI said.

The worst travel time is — you guessed it — the 8 to 9 a.m. rush hour, with the average speed being a tad over 15 mph. The best travel time is between 9 and 10 p.m., with an average speed of about 40 mph.

The freight bottleneck is joined by one other in New Jersey — Interstate 76 at Interstate 676 in Camden, which placed at No. 100 on the list, with an average speed of 46.2 mph.

ATRI analyzed truck GPS data to quantify the impact of congestion on truck-based freight, as the information "empowers decision-making" on where and at what level infrastructure investments should be made to address supply chain challenges, the research organization said.

For an animation representing 48 hours of weekday truck speeds in 2022, click here.