ATLANTA — The American Transportation Research Institute released its 12th annual list of the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America and named nine metro Atlanta locations, including two in the top ten.

ATRI said the 2023 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on the national highway system.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a traffic bottleneck is a localized section of a highway that experiences reduced speeds and inherent delays due to a recurring operational influence or a nonrecurring impacting event.

ATRI said this report is helpful because it helps determine what the problems truck operators fix are and infrastructure struggles for drivers.

Of the top 10 bottleneck locations, two metro Atlanta intersections were listed as part of the top 10 worst bottlenecks.

The top bottleneck locations are:

• Fort Lee, New Jersey: I-95 and SR 4
• Chicago: I-294 at I-290/I-88
• Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
• Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
• Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
• Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
• Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57
• Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105
• Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)
• San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15

ATRI said when comparing data from 2022, they found that traffic conditions continue to go down from recent years as more Americans returned to work post-pandemic.

According to the report, at the top 10 locations, the average rush hour truck speeds were less than 30 MPH.

“Georgia sits at the center of one of the most diverse and dynamic regions in the U.S., making the state an economic leader, but unfortunately, also a leader when it comes to traffic congestion. Once again, the Metro Atlanta area has a number of locations on ATRI’s list of the worst truck bottlenecks in the country,” said Georgia Motor Trucking Association President and CEO Ed Crowell. “The good news is that the state is committed to addressing these chokepoints to improve the movement of people and freight through our state.”

The following are the other seven locations as well as where they place on the list of the top 100 congested locations in the United States:

• No. 13 McDonough: I-75
• No. 14 Atlanta: I-285 at SR 400
• No. 17 Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (East)
• No. 18 Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North)
• No. 35 Atlanta: I-20 at I-75/I-85
• No. 57 Atlanta: I-75 at I-675
• No. 60 Atlanta: I-75 at I-85

“The past year-plus has shone a spotlight on our supply chains and how congestion and other pressures can hurt the American economy and consumers,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. “ATRI’s bottleneck report highlights the areas of our transportation network in need of investment so we can get goods and people moving. The cost of doing nothing is felt in needless delays, wasted fuel and time.”

To see the full report, click here.

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