Seattleites spent almost 6 days stuck in traffic last year

According to INRIX's data, Seattle is sixth in the country and 58th in the world for impact of congestion. According to INRIX's data, Seattle is sixth in the country and 58th in the world for impact of congestion. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, Genna Martin, Seattlepi.com Photo: GENNA MARTIN, Genna Martin, Seattlepi.com Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Seattleites spent almost 6 days stuck in traffic last year 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Soon, Seattle is going to have to get used to a tolled highway within the main part of the city and not just going to the Eastside. But that's not the only way Seattleites are paying for driving.

According to the latest Global Traffic Scorecard by Kirkland-based traffic data cruncher INRIX, the average Seattle driver lost 138 hours to congestion in 2018 -- or 5.75 days. According to INRIX, the cost of congestion for the city was $2.9 billion, or, on a per driver basis, $1,932.

If that sounds bad, know that Seattle only ranked about sixth in the U.S. by INRIX's impact ranking, and 58th out of the 200 cities the company studied worldwide.

The top U.S. city impacted by congestion is Boston, where 164 hours (6.8 days) were lost last year, to the tune of $2,291 per driver.

RELATED: Fewer drivers, more transit riders, and other takeaways from SDOT's 2018 traffic report

"Congestion costs Americans billions of dollars each year. It will continue to have serious consequences for national and local economies, businesses and citizens in the years to come," said Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at INRIX, in a statement.

"If we're to avoid traffic congestion becoming a further drain on our economy, we must invest in intelligent transportation systems to tackle our mobility challenges."

To calculate the numbers, INRIX determined the worst daily drive from the outer edge of the metro area to the city core, and then compared that to ideal traffic conditions. So cities famous for congestion, like Los Angeles, may be notched higher than Seattle (LA clocked in at fifth) without having a higher amount of hours in traffic (128 in LA).

RELATED: Seattle is the only city to not see a drop in ridership. Here's what researchers think

In this case, Los Angeles is saved from worse ranking (let alone traffic) by having sprawling geography and a massive road network, preventing severe downtown congestion prevalent in more centralized cities.

The intercity last-mile travel time in Seattle, for instance, is six minutes -- two minutes slower than LA's, and 4 mph less for an average speed in that last mile.

Seattle -- now entering the "period of maximum constraint" that will no doubt bring its own share of traffic woes -- was ranked ninth last year in U.S. cities, although INRIX changed their methodology so the two numbers are hard to compare; this year's study focused more on analyzing time lost and the severity of congestion.

RELATED: Your questions about the new State Route 99 tunnel answered:

Why is the viaduct closing so long before the tunnel opens?

The Alaskan Way Viaduct accounts for about 2.2 miles of SR-99 as it runs along the waterfront of downtown Seattle. In order for traffic to access the new tunnel, workers will have to tear up sections of the existing highway and then rebuild sections linking it to the new tunnel at the north and south ends. "This is more than just moving some traffic cones around," said David Sowers, deputy program administrator for WSDOT's Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program, at a news conference Wednesday morning. Crews will have to remove some embankments, build others, pave new sections of roadway and more. They will also have to build out roads that don't exist yet, including the intersection at South Dearborn Street where traffic will come off the highway from the northbound Sodo exit. The work is expected to take about three weeks, and Sowers said that while there is some padding in the schedule to allow for delays, he's confident the tunnel should be ready to open after the first weekend in February. The Alaskan Way Viaduct accounts for about 2.2 miles of SR-99 as it runs along the waterfront of downtown Seattle. In order for traffic to access the new tunnel, workers will have to tear up sections of the existing highway and then rebuild sections linking it to the new tunnel at the north and south ends. "This is more than just moving some traffic cones around," said David Sowers, deputy program administrator for WSDOT's Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program, at a news conference Wednesday morning. Crews will have to remove some embankments, build others, pave new sections of roadway and more. They will also have to build out roads that don't exist yet, including the intersection at South Dearborn Street where traffic will come off the highway from the northbound Sodo exit. The work is expected to take about three weeks, and Sowers said that while there is some padding in the schedule to allow for delays, he's confident the tunnel should be ready to open after the first weekend in February. less Why is the viaduct closing so long before the tunnel opens?

The Alaskan Way Viaduct accounts for about 2.2 miles of SR-99 as it runs along the waterfront of downtown Seattle. In order for traffic to access the The Alaskan Way Viaduct accounts for about 2.2 miles of SR-99 as it runs along the waterfront of downtown Seattle. In order for traffic to access the ... more Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Your questions about the viaduct to tunnel project answered 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

And despite the viaduct switchover that was being prepped in 2018, none of Seattle's roads made INRIX's most congested U.S. roads in 2018 list.