Congested Corridor
Route 28
Cited as the most consistently congested corridor - this is the section north of Boston, through Cambridge, Somerville and the Fellsway in Medford.
MASSDOT issued a report in 2019 illustrating the congestion problems in Massachusetts.
Among the key findings:
Commute times have increased since 2007 between 5% to 10%.
Road congestion has reached the point that it is impacting regional access to jobs. This can have far reaching impacts on the economy and job growth for years to come.
Some employers are not able to fill positions due to traffic concerns from workers and clients.
Since 2010 Massachusetts has also seen a population increase of over 350,000, adding to the congestion.
(Source: 2019 Governor's Report on Congestion in the Commonwealth)
These bottleneck spots are taken from the 2019 MassDOT Congestion study
Cited as the most consistently congested corridor - this is the section north of Boston, through Cambridge, Somerville and the Fellsway in Medford.
The intersection of I‑495 and I‑90 in Westborough frequently sees congestion, not only on the on and off ramps, but often on the surrounding roadways as well.
As the meeting of two of the major
east-west and north-south roadways that traverse the state, this interchange is significant not only for
residents of the Commonwealth traveling locally, but for interstate commerce and freight transport as
well as interstate travelers.
Fresh Pond from Memorial Drive and Soldiers Field Road to Alewife was the second most congested section cited by the report.
Boston has been named the most congested city in the country
Boston drivers spend the highest percentage of their time stuck in traffic compared to any other city in the country.
Hours per year lost in congestion per capita: 164
Annual cost of congestion per driver: $2,291
Total cost of congestion for Boston: $4.1 billion
Excess fuel per driver per year: 31 gallons - costing drivers and the environment
Sources (INRIX Research, 2019 Urban Mobility Report, MASSDOT 2019 Congestion Study)