Report unsurprisingly has Houston among U.S. worst for traffic

The U.S. 59 / Loop 610 interchange is considered one of the state's biggest traffic bottlenecks. Click the gallery for the worst commutes in Houston. The U.S. 59 / Loop 610 interchange is considered one of the state's biggest traffic bottlenecks. Click the gallery for the worst commutes in Houston. Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Report unsurprisingly has Houston among U.S. worst for traffic 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

Wow, did INRIX pick the right day to reveal Houston has the fourth-worst traffic in the nation.

Louisiana officials have closed Interstate 10 near the Texas border because of flooding issues and Metro’s HOT lane system along many Houston freeways was felled by a gate glitch. Fortunately, the spring break school holiday had taken a chunk of commuters off the streets.

When they return, however, they’ll come back to a city like reeling with increased congestion.

“Cities that have experienced the most economic improvement during the past year are at highest risk for consequences related to worsened traffic conditions, including reduced productivity, higher emissions and increased stress levels,” INRIX officials said in a release.

The company is among the world’s largest traffic analysts, and estimates nationally drivers waste 8 billion hours yearly commuting to and from work.

Houston ranked fourth in terms of average hours wasted in traffic annually by each driver. Most area commuters lost 74 hours to congestion, compared to 75 hours in Washington and San Francisco. Los Angeles area commuters lost the most time yearly, with congestion costing them 81 hours.

Scoring poorly on traffic lists is nothing new for Houston. The region typically appears high in comparison of traffic congestion among metro areas. In Texas, half of the top 10 most congested segments of road are in Harris County, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

INRIX listed 17 Houston freeway corridors among the worst in the nation, 13 of which had peak average speeds of less than 40 mph. On U.S. 59 – also Interstate 69 in the Houston area – traffic moved at an average of 20 mph between Lorraine and Texas 288.