Katy-area roadways ranked among 100 most congested in annual statewide report

KATY, Texas — Several roadways in the Katy area were among the 100 most congested in the state in 2022, according to an annual report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

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The data also shows congestion has worsened on most of the Katy-area roadways since the 2021 rankings were released last year.

Each year, the TTI measures congestion on over 2,100 road segments, or about 10,000 miles of Texas roads. The Texas Legislature directed the TTI to begin conducting the annual study in 2009 due to growing urban road congestion.

The details

I-10 from North Eldridge Parkway to Sam Houston Tollway West

• Drivers delayed for combined 1.69 million hours

I-10 from Sam Houston Tollway West to Loop 610

• Drivers delayed for combined 2.72 million hours

I-10 from Grand Parkway to North Eldridge Parkway

• Drivers delayed for combined 2.92 million hours

Grand Parkway from South Fry Road to Morton Ranch Road

• Drivers delayed for combined 1.08 million hours

Hwy. 6 from I-10 to Westpark Tollway

• Drivers delayed for combined 744,551 hours

The ranking worsened for four out of the five local road segments, with the Grand Parkway segment from South Fry Road to Morton Ranch Road being the only one where its congestion ranking improved year over year.

Widening projects on the Grand Parkway are planned over the next several years.

What they’re saying

Researchers found in 2022, drivers across Texas spent 7% longer in traffic than the year prior. However, traffic delays remained below prepandemic levels, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Transportation.

Delays in 2022 were 23% lower than in 2019, TxDOT reported. Meanwhile, overall traffic volume on roads across Texas has increased 2% since 2019.

“It’s encouraging to see the impact our work is having on Texas roads throughout the state to help ease congestion,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in the release. “But our work isn’t done. As more and more people move to Texas, we need to keep moving forward with projects that address traffic congestion and improve safety in areas that need it most.”

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.