Image via flickr/Michael Bludworth
It will come as no surprise to Houston drivers that the metropolitan area is home to some of the state's most congested roadways, but the latest report from Texas A&M University's Transportation Institute suggests it's getting worse.
In 2016, the Houston area had 12 of the top 20 offenders. That's up from 10 in 2015.
In fact, nearly half of the state's 100 most congested roadways are in the Houston area. Taking the title of most-congested roadway in the state is the roughly 3.6-mile segment of 610 Loop by the Galleria, running between I-10 and US-59.
Average speeds during peak traffic were around 33 miles per hour, according to the report. Annual delays -- the collective period of time each person is stuck in congestion, including drivers and passengers --totaled more than 1 million person-hours.
Congestion along that stretch has worsened over the years. It was the 18th-ranked congested roadway as recently as 2010. In 2016, the estimated annual congestion cost for the segment topped $90.6 million.
Other notable headaches in the region:
US-59 between I-610 and SH-288, which ranked third in the state for congestion and had more than 870,000 person-hours worth of delays in 2016.
I-10 between North Eldridge Parkway and Sam Houston Tollway at fifth in the state with more than 659,000 person-hours in delays.
I-45 between Sam Houston Tollway N and I-610, ranking sixth in the state and clocking in with more than 656,000 person-hours in delays.
I-10 between Sam Houston Tollway W and I-610 at ninth in the state for the worst congestion and more than 532,000 person-hours worth of delays.