Dallas-Fort Worth has the 10th worst traffic in the country, according to an annual report from the transportation analytics service INRIX, a statistic that sounds bad until you recall that the region had the seventh most congested roads in the U.S. in last year’s study.
You know what, it still sounds pretty bad. But better! Not better than Houston, which came in 11th, or Austin, at 16th, but it’s not Los Angeles, ranked No. 1 for the sixth year running. And, compared to last year’s report, congestion in Dallas actually declined by close to 9 percent in 2017. INRIX chalks that decline up in part to the completion of new lanes on the stretch of I-35E between Dallas and Denton.
U.S. cities occupy a lot of real estate on this shameful list, which accounts for the “peak hours spent in congestion,” or the seconds ticked away from our precious and finite lifespans as we stare at car bumpers and listen to talk radio while stewing in a sick feeling that it isn’t supposed to be like this. Dallas drivers spent about 54 peak hours in existential crises caused by traffic congestion last year, by INRIX’s count.
