Top 10 List with the Most Congested Cities and Freeways in North America

With the holiday season upon us, North American cities are bound to experience increased traffic, as most residents will increase the use of their car during the merriest time of the year. Navteq, a Chicago-based provider of electronic maps, traffic and location data company has issued a Top 10 list with the most congested cities and freeways in North America.

Not surprisingly, New York takes the top spot in both lists, having the worst traffic inside the city and the slowest freeways in terms of average rush hour speed. So, be sure to avoid the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the New York – Washington BRG EB 3 and New York – Washington BRG WB 7 freeways.

Other overly congested freeways are to be found in Montreal, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Washington D.C. took second place for its choked inner city traffic, probably due to all those commuting lobbyists, followed by San Francisco. Los Angeles placed in the middle of the pack, while Houston comes in last. Before some start pointing guns fingers at me, Texans should be aware that being last in this list is actually a good thing.

US Cities with the Worst Rush Hours


1. New York

2. Washington D.C.

3. San Francisco

4. Seattle

5. Los Angeles 

6. Philadelphia

7. Chicago 

8. Dallas-Ft.Worth 

9. Atlanta 

10. Houston

Freeways with the Slowest Typical Rush Hour 


1. New York City – Brooklyn Battery TUNL NB

2. New York City – Washington BRG EB

3. Montreal – AUT-15EB
4. Philadelphia – US-202 SB

5. Montreal – RTE-138 WB

6. New York City – Washington BRG WB

7. Los Angeles – 1-10EB

8. Boston – US-1 NB

9. Dallas – TX-366 EB

10. Toronto – Don Valley PKWY NB

Don't agree with Navteq Top 10 lists? Share your opinion on the matter in the comments below.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Navteq , Photos: Carscoop