Dallas, TX
How bad is traffic in Dallas? One study says its only getting worse
Dallas roads are getting more congested, according to a new traffic study.
Transportation data and analytics company INRIX studied hundreds of cities around the world and found that post-COVID, traffic patterns are still adjusting, with a new midday rush hour and different peak travel times.
Traffic in Dallas has increased 12% compared to before the pandemic, according to the company’s 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard. The report ranked Dallas as the 17th most congested city in the country.
Long-distance commuting has surged across the country after the pandemic, according to a study by Stanford University researchers. On average, people who work in Dallas have added 35 miles per trip to their commutes. “Super commuting” more than 75 miles to work has increased 29% post-pandemic, the study found.
Bob Pishue, the traffic scorecard’s author and a transportation data analyst at INRIX, said Dallas doesn’t have as much traffic as other large metros, despite its large size. Toll roads and public-private partnerships give the city more ways to address transportation issues to alleviate traffic.
“Texas is always looking at interesting ways to finance and deliver infrastructure, and that is not that common in other states or areas,” Pishue said. “Dallas isn’t afraid to build.”
While the city isn’t at the top of the country’s most congested cities, Dallas drivers still face busy roads every day.
“If you’re sitting in it, it sucks,” Pishue said. “[But] for its size, it does pretty well in terms of traffic congestion and delay.”
The average driver in Dallas lost 38 hours due to congestion in 2023, a six-hour increase from 2022, costing $658 in wasted time. This was slightly below the national average of 42 hours. The value of time lost in traffic was based on the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s 2016 guidance, which puts one hour in traffic at $17.45 after adjusting for inflation. The value takes into account a population’s average hourly income, demographics, mode of transportation, purpose of travel, distance and other factors.
Dallas’ US-80 Eastbound from I-635 to FM 548 in Forney was the 11th most congested corridor in the country, with drivers losing 66 hours due to traffic on that corridor alone. Its peak congestion is reported around 5 p.m., the study found. The Texas Department of Transportation is in the process of expanding that route from two to three lanes in each direction as the Kaufman County city ranks among the fastest growing in the country.
I-30 Westbound from St. Francis Avenue to I-345 is the city’s second busiest corridor, with an average delay of 34 hours annually for Dallas drivers. Third was North Walton Walker Blvd.
The company has published an annual report on traffic patterns for more than 15 years. The scorecard looks at nearly 1,000 cities across 37 countries to see how traffic is changing and uses anonymized data from trucking fleets, delivery vehicles, passenger vehicles, mobile apps and more.
The pandemic changed traffic patterns, but congestion is ramping back up as people return to offices. Still, Pishue sees a “new normal” on the roads. Dallas is one of many American cities experiencing a new mid-day traffic rush as work schedules are more flexible and many people work from home.
INRIX found a 23% increase in mid-day trips in the U.S. compared to before the pandemic. Almost as many trips are made nationwide at noon as at 5 p.m., the report said. Work hours and changes to the traditional workday have also affected traffic patterns. Across the country, the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each saw a higher volume of trips than 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Another change has occurred in downtown trips. In Dallas, Pishue said the downtown holds only about 2% of the region’s jobs, and the pandemic deemphasized, to different degrees, downtown areas across the country as economic centers. But in 2023, the city’s downtown trip volume was up 3% and the average speed for drivers downtown was 16 mph.
The scorecard put New York City as the most congested city in the world, followed by Mexico City and London. According to the report, traffic congestion shows economic growth but also means lost time and money for commuters.
The report helps cities identify problems in transportation systems and address issues relating to traffic patterns, Pishue said.
“Those that do it best, at least right now, are looking at these post-COVID travel patterns and adjusting,” Pishue said. “That’s what it’s about, is being able to adjust more frequently.”
Dallas, TX
Here is everything you need to know about Sunday night’s Dallas Cowboys game
The Dallas Cowboys are playing their third game in a row at home that is in front of a massive television audience as they are now going from Thanksgiving Day to Monday Night Football to Sunday Night Football. America’s Team and all that jazz. It is the first time that they will be playing a game in general though as a team eliminated from playoff contention.
This time around the Cowboys will be hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are underdogs even in their home building. While Dallas has won three of their last four, the Buccaneers have won all of their last four. Needless to say it is going to be a difficult outing.
We will see how well the Cowboys fare and if they are able to make it four out of five. The early parts of this season were extremely tough, but they have been playing very well for the last month or so.
This post will serve as our running recap throughout it all. We will update things on a quarterly basis and at the end of the game sort it so that it can be read in chronological order.
Let’s go Cowboys!
Follow Blogging The Boys Everywhere
Notable Recent News
This past week saw the trailer for the Netflix documentary chronicling Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys teams of the 1990s release… if you are into that.
Injury Updates
We have known for some time that Trevon Diggs’ season is over, but the Cowboys formally placed him on injured reserve on Saturday.
Dallas signed Andrew Booth to the active roster in response.
NFL News Relevant To The Cowboys
As noted up top… the Washington Commanders beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and in the process they eliminated the Cowboys from playoff contention.
The Drought™ grows all the more large.
Up Next For The Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are set for their final road trip of the season next Sunday as they will visit the Philadelphia Eagles. After that they will return home to host the Washington Commanders before they wrap everything up.
Dallas, TX
Dallas police identify victim in Saturday morning shooting
DALLAS – Dallas Police have identified a man who was shot and killed before 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
Officers were called to a shooting in the 9000 block of Soverign Row, which is off of John Carpenter Freeway near Regal Row.
Investigators believe 21-year-old Joseph Ortega was shot by an unknown suspect.
Ortega died at the scene.
This is an ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Frank Serra at 214-662-4552 or frank.serra@dallaspolice.gov.
Dallas, TX
Dallas City Council meltdown over city manager search an embarrassment
An already questionable search process for Dallas’ new city manager has unfortunately lapsed into all-out dysfunction.
Dallas City Council, it’s the holidays. Please take a breath of fresh pine air and work out this search in a new spirit of cooperation before nobody ends up wanting the job.
Given what’s already happened, chances of that are dwindling. Three of the five semifinalists already pulled out of the running late last week.
There was trouble from the start with the resignation of former City Manager T.C. Broadnax in February. He said a majority of the council lost faith in his leadership, but the timing of his “involuntary resignation” rightly raised eyebrows. Mayor Eric Johnson questioned whether his allies on the council helped him orchestrate the move so he could take a job as Austin city manager and also collect on a hefty severance.
The City Council named Broadnax’s top aide, Assistant City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, as interim manager just days after his resignation amid reservations of some of the council. Since then, the table has seemed set for her to assume the permanent role, underscored by the lack of pushback Tolbert’s received as she’s implemented sweeping changes at City Hall during her interim role. We can’t help but wonder about the chill that’s had on other potential candidates.
Another wrinkle came when the outside search firm hired to vet candidates, Baker Tilly, circulated a draft brochure advertising for the job that featured a photo of the Houston skyline. That was in late August, and since then some council members have blamed both the firm and an ad hoc search committee for moving too slowly and without transparency to the full council.
Tensions erupted this month when three council members — Paula Blackmon, Gay Donnell Willis and Jaynie Schultz — tried to wrest control from the committee and hold an emergency meeting of the full council. That flopped when only two other council members showed up at the Dec. 16 meeting, not enough for a quorum.
Blackmon told us she expected a quorum, but “it became clear to me that some phone calls were made to pressure people not to show up, and that is their decision.” Another bad look for the city.
A meeting the same day of the ad hoc committee weirdly ended up in executive session for nearly three hours. Members emerged with a plan to virtually interview the semifinalists Monday, the day before Christmas Eve. That seems like a big ask of the candidates and a crummy process. Candidates deserve an in-person interview.
It’s been hard to keep track of who’s on whose team in this mayhem. There are clearly two sides on the council: those who want Tolbert to get the job, and those who aren’t yet sold on her and want a more extensive search.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn, a member of the ad hoc committee, told us any grievances with the search should have been handled privately and that council members not on the committee have wrongly injected themselves in what is a serious effort.
“This unprofessional behavior risks scaring off strong candidates and reflects poorly on our city,” she said.
That may well happen even more than it has and, at this point, who could blame them? From the start to now, the city has hardly put its best foot forward. We urge the City Council to embrace the quiet of the season, take a moment and begin again in earnest in the New Year.
Rushing this process serves no one and least of all the residents of Dallas.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
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