While overall congestion was better, some areas went from bad to worse. And the report also predicts congestion will resume its upward march. The number of congested miles stayed steady at 21 percent over the past two years. The report predicts that by 2030, 33 percent to 41 percent of the highway miles will be congested.
This kind of thing is the inevitable consequence of all the freeway construction they did in the 70's. I never really realized (because I don't live over there) how bad the traffic is in the Western suburbs. Highways 169 and 100 are some of the most congested parts of the freeway system.
Have you ever experienced/heard of the "Devils Triangle"? It's in the BP (Brooklyn Park), my home town, where 85th Avenue, Highway 81, and Highway 169 all come together. It is one of the most dangerous/deadliest interchanges as well as one of the most heavily congested. Highway 169 is bad thru Brooklyn Park, because the city did not invest in off/on ramps and over-under passes. Instead, city planners located big box retail (Mills Fleet Farm) and put in stop lights at every intersection along this complicated interchange, to force people to stop and to save money. This is the same situation with Highway 252 that evolves into Highway 610 in Brooklyn Park/Coon Rapids
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