Move Now
Damn that traffic jam
Louisville ranks second-worst among mid-size metro areas for traffic congestion, according to the latest annual Texas Transportation Institute report. We have more traffic delay than Nashville, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Memphis. To see rankings click here and to read the full report, click here.
This congestion is costly to individual travelers and businesses, bad for the environment and our quality of life.
The report notes that commuters in our region:
- Spend 38 hours a year stuck in traffic – almost one week of vacation.
- Waste more than 24 gallons of fuel a year – more than three weeks worth of fuel for the average U.S. resident.
- Lose $760 each based on the value for the traffic delays and wasted fuel in 2007 alone, compared to an inflation-adjusted $290 in 1982.
While high gas prices and economic recession can slow congestion growth, these trends reverse when the economy rebounds, according to the Texas Transportation Institute report.
Two bridges are the answer
A big part of our congestion problem is on our bridge and connecting highway network.
Traffic analysis for the Bridge Project’s federal study demonstrates that only two new bridges provide the needed capacity to accommodate cross-river traffic in the region.
With one new bridge, either downtown or in the east end, the amount of traffic our bridges are designed to handle would be met or exceeded by 2025, and we would again need to address congestion problems.
Building just an east-end bridge, for example, would leave the I-65 Kennedy Bridge 16 percent overcapacity by 2025, worse congestion on the Kennedy than in recent years. (Federal Environmental Impact Statement, page 3-67).
The Bridges Project will DECREASE miles of travel, hours of delay and hours of travel throughout the region, resulting in LESS traffic congestion. (Environmental Impact Statement, Chapter 3 alternatives, page 3-65)