Press Releases

Congestion Up 9 Percent on Bay Area Freeways in 2005

Little Shakeup in Regional Top 10 List

For Immediate Release

Contact:
John Goodwin, MTC 510.817.5862
Jeff Weiss, Caltrans 510.286.5543

OAKLAND, Calif., June 20, 2006… If your drive to work seems to be taking longer than it did a couple years ago, it’s no illusion.

Fueled in part by an expansion of the regional economy that spurred the creation of some 26,000 jobs in 2005 (source: state Employment Development Department), commute-hour traffic congestion on Bay Area freeways increased last year at the fastest rate since 2000, according to the latest congestion-monitoring data released today by Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). The daily number of vehicle hours of delay due to congestion in the nine-county region rose by 9 percent in 2005, following a modest 2 percent bump in 2004 and steady declines in congestion from 2001 through 2003. Among the “Top 10” list of Bay Area congestion hot spots, the morning commute along westbound Interstate 80 from Hercules to the Bay Bridge retained its seemingly perennial hold on the top spot in 2005 with an average 10,930 daily vehicle hours of delay.

“Beyond the overall increase, what really stands out is that the worst of the congestion is concentrated in a few familiar places,” observed MTC Chair Jon Rubin, noting that nine of the freeway segments on the annual list of the Bay Area’s top 10 traffic hot spots (see map), shared the same dubious distinction in 2004 as well. The only newcomer to the Top 10 list is the eastbound afternoon commute along State Route 4 from Bailey Road in Pittsburg to the A Street/ Lone Tree Way exit in Antioch.

The congestion statistics are part of the Bay Area Transportation: State of the System 2006 project spearheaded by MTC and Caltrans. This annual initiative tracks the performance of the region’s transportation system and the condition of its facilities. The complete State of the System report is scheduled for publication later this year.

Regionwide, the congestion data show that on a typical weekday, vehicles spent about 135,700 hours in congested conditions (defined as average speeds below 35 miles per hour for 15 minutes or longer) on Bay Area freeways in 2005. While this marks a 9 percent increase over 2004 figures, it remains well below the 177,600 per day recorded in 2000 at the height of the region’s technology-charged economic boom.

For the second consecutive year, the Bay Bridge and its approaches account for three of the Bay Area’s 10 worst congestion locations, including the morning approach along westbound Interstate 80 (a segment that also carries traffic bound for eastbound Interstate 580 and southbound Interstate 880), the eastbound afternoon commute across the span (number 10) and the afternoon approach on eastbound Interstate 80 and northbound U.S. 101 in San Francisco (number 4).

While noting that the new congestion data is from 2005, MTC Commissioner and Caltrans District 4 Director Bijan Sartipi indicated the Bay Bridge corridor is likely to retain its prominence on the list of congestion spots for 2006 as well. “The reconstruction of the Bay Bridge West Approach structure in San Francisco moved into a new phase earlier this month. The new lane configuration for westbound traffic will be in place until late 2006 and could cause continuing slowdowns, and eastbound traffic heading toward the bridge from San Francisco travels through a construction zone as well.”

Other familiar corridors on the most-congested list can be found along Interstate 580 in Alameda County. The afternoon drive from the Interstate 680 junction east to El Charro Road ranked number 2 on the 2005 list and the morning drive westbound from Flynn Road at the top of the Altamont Pass to Airway Blvd. in Livermore came in third. These segments swapped positions from the 2004 list.

“The 580 corridor ranks near the top of the congestion charts year after year. The congestion problem is critical and the new data shows it is getting worse,” said Alameda County Supervisor and MTC Commissioner Scott Haggerty, who has been a leader in the formation of the Port to Port Coalition, which is advocating for roadway improvements and capacity expansion along the freeway routes between the Port of Oakland and the Port of Stockton.

Noting the nearly $20 billion transportation infrastructure bond on the upcoming November statewide ballot that has been embraced by Gov. Schwarzenegger as part of his Strategic Growth Plan, Haggerty said, “The proposed I-bond includes $4.5 billion for a Corridor Mobility Program and another $2 billion to improve goods movement. I hope the new congestion numbers will be a wake-up call for the voters as they consider the bond package this November.”

“There will always be a top 10 list of congested corridors,” explained Sartipi. “And some of these segments may continue to hold a place on that list. But the Strategic Growth Plan proposes investments that could give each one of these corridors a fighting chance to lose its negative prominence ranking.”

At the county level, the biggest overall increase in freeway congestion in 2005 occurred in Contra Costa County, where daily vehicle hours of delay grew by just over 3,000 to 21,600. The biggest percentage increases came in Sonoma and Marin counties. Daily vehicle hours of delay jumped by more than a third in Sonoma County, to 7,100 in 2005 from 5,300 the year before. Marin County showed a 32 percent surge in congestion in 2005, and smaller percentage increases were registered in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Caltrans is responsible for the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of the state highway system.

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