Report: LA, San Francisco top list of worst traffic congestion

LOS ANGELES -- A new study has confirmed what we all know, that the Bay Area traffic is bad, but now we're finding out just how bad.

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A new report from transportation analytics company INRIX states that Los Angeles has the worst gridlock -- for the sixth year in a row -- out of 1,361 cities in 38 countries.

On the list of worst in the U.S, San Francisco is ranked third worst behind LA and New York City.

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According to INRIX's Global Congestion Ranking drivers here spent about 79 hours last year sitting in congestion. The report states that drivers in Los Angeles spent an average of 102 hours in congestion in 2017 during peak time periods, the equivalent of more than four days.

The report also listed the most congested corridors in the U.S.

The worst traffic corridors here include:

• 1. Highway 24 from the MacArthur Maze through the Caldecott Tunnel, all the way to Walnut Creek


• 2. 3rd Street in San Francisco from 16th to Market


• 3. Interstate 80 from Emeryville up to Pinole


• 4. 6th Street in SF from Market Street to I-280


• 5. Highway 1, also known as 19th Avenue, through the city from I-280 to the Golden Gate Bridge

In LA, the 10 Freeway between the 405 and 110 freeways ranked fourth on that list.

The study found that traffic congestion cost U.S. motorists nearly $305 billion in 2017, an average of $1,445 per driver. These sums reflect direct and indirect costs.

The U.S. accounted for 10 of the top 25 cities worldwide with the worst traffic congestion in the INRIX study.

The study notes that both New York and San Francisco, the second- and third-ranked cities in North America (91 and 79 hours spent in congestion respectively), have a similar average congestion rate as Los Angeles (13 percent), but show different commute patterns. San Francisco, for example, had the highest congestion rate (tied with Boston) on arterial and city streets during the peak commute hours, while New York holds the top spot during the daytime.

To view the full study, visit www.inrix.com.

ABC7 News contributed to this report.