Congestion costs commuters and businesses $160bn nationally in 2014 in lost fuel and time, according to the Texas Transportation Institute, a 280-percent increase since 1982.
Fairfield County, Conn. is one of I-95’s most congested stretches. Stamford is ranked as the second-most congested city per-capita after Los Angeles, according to INRIX Roadway Analytics.
Traffic moves at an average speed of 16 mph on an average Friday at 5 p.m. between Stamford and Bridgeport, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of 2015 data from the University of Maryland.
Five hours earlier at noon, traffic along the same segments move at 57 mph on average, according to the Journal’s analysis.
Fixing the problem isn’t easy. Business groups are opposed to bringing in tolls. Without tolls or another form of new revenue, it will be difficult for the state to make improvements to I-95 like adding lanes, or increasing access to public transit.
