It's no surprise to many in North Texas that our roads are heavily congested. But if you needed proof, a new report lists Dallas-Fort Worth as one of America's metro areas with the most congested freeways.
For the second-straight year, the stretch of road along westbound northeast Loop 820 at Rufe Snow is the worst in all of North Texas, according to INRIX, a navigation software firm.
"Some of the times, our customers get upset, because they call us an hour before, and we're still stuck in traffic," tow-truck driver Krystal Rubio said. "And usually, they don't believe us, but it's the truth! We're stuck in traffic."
The second worst spot is probably a product of the first, at NE Loop 820 and Holiday Lane -- just a little east of Rufe Snow. The third worst bottleneck is west of Rufe Snow at state Highway 377.
"We avoid it like the plague," Tarrant County resident Tommy Miller said. "You can't get anywhere any faster by taking 820/183 than you can just by using the service roads."
The bottlenecks are so bad, they spread east to the interchange at Loop 820 and State Highway 183.
"Coming back home, 5:30 or 6 p.m., it takes a long time to get home if you're coming 820," said commuter Mark Quintero. "I try to avoid it when I can."
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But there is hope for the future.
Construction on the $2 billion North Tarrant Express is scheduled to begin later this year. The project is going to expand the current lanes, add tollroads and new frontage lanes. It will expand Loop 820 from two lanes to six in each direction, State Highway 183 to seven lanes and include a new interchange at Loop 820 and Interstate 35E.
The North Tarrant Express is to be completed by 2015.
Worst-congested metro areas according to INRIX:
To see the complete scorecard, go to http://scorecard.inrix.com.
NBCDFW's Susy Solis contributed to this report.
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