POSTED: Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 6:16pm
UPDATED: Sunday, January 23, 2011 - 4:20pm
EL PASO - How long did it take you to get to work this morning? Chances are if you commute you've seen your share of traffic tie-ups.
According to the Texas Transportation Institute the average American commuter spent 34 hours in traffic in 2009. That's up from 14 back in 1982. All that congestion cost $115 billion in 2009, or about $800 per commuter.
"You could think of that as a congestion tax, the amount of extra time your sitting on road, amount
of extra fuel you have to buy because you're sitting in stop and go travel," says the TTI's Tim Lomax.
That extra fuel? 3.9 billion gallons, equal to 130 days of flow in the Alaska pipeline.
Chicago and the nation's capitol tied for the worst commuter cities. Drivers there spend 70 hours, or almost three days a year in traffic.
Los Angeles, where there is nothing fast about the freeways, came in at number three.
Wherever you drive, it seems there's a common theme, so experts suggest you pay attention to traffic reports, know alternate routes or take public transportation.