Chicago leads nation in 2022 traffic congestion, report says

Vehicles travel southbound on the Kennedy Expressway near West Montrose Avenue. A study finds that drivers in Chicago lost more hours waiting in traffic than motorists in any other U.S. city. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times)

If you thought traffic in Chicago was bad, well, you were right.

Traffic congestion in Chicago is the worst in the U.S., and drivers in the city lost more hours waiting in traffic last year than counterparts in any other city in the country, according to a report released Tuesday by transportation analytics firm INRIX.

Drivers in Chicago lost an average of 155 hours to traffic, more than motorists in Boston at 134, New York at 117 and Los Angeles at 94, the report said. When compared with the rest of the world, Chicago was the second most congested globally, coming up just an hour behind London.

All that time spent in traffic in 2022 cost the average American driver $869 in time lost, the report said. That is up from the previous year’s average of $305. The increase is due in part to an increase in fuel costs and inflation, the report said.

Drivers in Chicago also spent $288 more for fuel to commute to work in 2022 than in 2021, the report said.

Drivers in Chicago lost an average of 155 hours to traffic in 2022; they also spent $288 more for fuel than in 2021. Globally, Chicago ranks second to London in road congestion. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times)

But there may be some relief in sight for Chicago motorists. In December, state officials announced that after nearly 10 years of construction, the Jane Byrne Interchange project just west of downtown was “substantially complete.”

It is expected to reduce traffic congestion by 50% and save $185 million annually in lost productivity caused by delayed commuters, officials said. The expressway interchange accommodates 400,000 vehicles every day, about 25% of them trucks.

Many metro areas saw a rise in traffic congestion in 2022 as more people returned to their pre-pandemic routines and commutes. Use of public transportation also remains below 2019 levels, which led to more cars on the road, the report said.

“Despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties, we continued to see a rise in global vehicle-miles traveled, a return toward traditional morning and evening peak commutes, growth in public transportation use, and continued gains in downtown travel,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.

However, despite the increase in trips to downtown and work areas, traffic levels in most metros remain below pre-COVID level, Pishue said.