Houston's 610 Loop tops TTI list of state’s congested roadways

The Interstate 610 west loop in Houston has secured the dubious honor of the most congested roadway in Texas in an annual Texas A&M Transportation Institute [study] (http://tti.tamu.edu/2014/08/29/annual-study-ranks-traffic-on-nearly-1800-road-segments/) of congestion in almost 1800 roadways throughout the state.

Interstate 35 in Austin, the Southwest Freeway in Houston, U.S. 75 in Dallas, and Stemmons Freeway in Dallas round out the top five.

The state’s worsening traffic gridlock is driven largely by a rapid growth in population without a corresponding growth in roadway space, states a TTI press release accompanying the rankings. “The number of registered vehicles in Texas has risen 172 percent in the past 40 years, while highway space has grown only 19 percent during the same time. “

The first step toward developing transportation solutions includes carefully monitoring mobility conditions, said Tim Lomax, an urban planning lecturer at the College of Architecture and TTI senior research engineer.

“Whether you’re a planner or policy maker, it’s really important to have a strong grasp of the problem, because that understanding can lead to more informed decisions.”

TTI, a member of the [Texas A&M University System] (http://www.tamus.edu/) , seeks solutions to the issues and challenges facing all modes of transportation and [partners] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2012/8/13/laup-tti-partnership/) with the [Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu) to prepare students for transportation-related careers.