Drivers in the Triangle spend less time dealing with traffic jams and congestion than most other metropolitan areas of a similar size. Texas Transportation Institute recently released its annual Urban Mobility Report.
Texas A & M University senior research engineer Bill Eisele co-authored the study and says that people in the large-city category spend 37 hours on average in traffic delays each year. “The average auto commuter in RDU wasted 23 hrs stuck in congestion, wasted 11 gallons of gas stuck in congestion for a total cost of 502 dollars,” he said.
In contrast, commuters in and around Charlotte spend an average of 40 hours on congested roadways and burn 20 gallons of gas. The city of Nashville ranks worst. Drivers there spend 47 hours each year in traffic delays.