Just in time for the height of Thanksgiving-related travel, a new report from the American Highway Users Alliance ("Unclogging America's Arteries") names three stretches of Boston-area Interstate as among the 50 worst bottlenecks in the U.S.
· The worst bottleneck in the region runs along I-93 from the Mass. Pike to Route 1, according to the report. That 1.9-mile stretch causes about 2.1 million hours of delays annually for motorists, costing them a combined $58 million. It is also the 15th-worst bottleneck nationally.
· No. 28 on the report's list, and No. 2 locally, is between Edge Hill Road and West Street on I-93, in between the Boston area and the South Shore. The 1.2-mile stretch hoovers up an estimated 1 million hours of motorists' time annually, wasting $28 million.
· And then there is the one-third-mile run from Dorchester Avenue to A Street along the Mass. Pike, which ranks 50th among the nation's worst bottlenecks. It causes 200,000 hours of delays annually and costs motorists $7 million worth of time.
Now, having warned you of these bottlenecks, let us conclude by saying that it is almost impossible to avoid them (and their aftereffects) during peak travel times such as Thanksgiving weekend. Good luck anyway.
· Unclogging America's Arteries 2015 [AHUA]
· Study Finds 3 Worst Highway Bottlenecks in Massachusetts — Right Where You Thought They'd Be [Globe]