New list ranks Bay Area's top congested freeways

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - There's a new king of congestion. A new study now ranks the afternoon commute out of San Francisco from Highway 101 to the Treasure Island section of the Bay Bridge the region’s "most notorious location" for traffic.

That roughly six mile stretch can take an hour to cross, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which on Monday unveiled its 2015 ranking of the Bay Area’s most congested freeway sections.

The morning drive along westbound Interstate 80 from Hercules to San Francisco has long been recognized as the region's worst commute.

That stretch slid to the second spot.

And coming in third place on the worst commute list is a newcomer to the annual rankings: The morning drive along southbound Interstate 680 and northbound Interstate 280 from East San Jose to Cupertino shot up to 3rd place after ranking 20th in 2014.

There were other newcomers to the top ten list: The northbound afternoon drive on Interstate 880 from Fremont to Hayward, rose to 9th place from 16th; and the afternoon commute on northbound U.S. 101 from Menlo Park to Foster City, climbed two spots from the previous year to 10th place.

“Routes leading into or out of Silicon Valley and San Francisco dominate the Top 10, and they account for almost half of all congestion in the region,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor and MTC Chair Dave Cortese.

The MTC reports that across the region, “congested delay" (which the transportation agency defines as time spent in traffic moving at speeds of 35 miles an hour or less), surged 22 percent in 2015 from the previous year. 

This marks the Bay Area’s highest recorded level of congested delay on a per-commuter basis, according to the MTC.

“The congestion data really underscore both the robust job growth we’ve seen in the South Bay and San Francisco, and the persistent imbalance between where those jobs are located and where comparatively affordable housing can be found,” said Cortese.

“We all feel the impacts of traffic congestion in our daily commutes,” said San Jose Mayor and MTC Commissioner Sam Liccardo. “But today’s data starkly demonstrates how quickly we need to invest in real solutions that can provide congestion relief - expanding mass transit, improving our roads and highways, and more.”

BAY AREA'S TOP 10 CONGESTED LOCATIONS IN 2015

1. U.S. 101, northbound/Interstate 80, eastbound, p.m. - San Francisco County I-280 to east of Treasure Island Tunnel

2. Interstate 80, westbound, all day - Alameda, Contra Costa & San Francisco counties CA-4 to US-101

3. Interstate 680, southbound & Interstate 280, northbound, a.m. - Santa Clara County South Jackson Avenue to Foothill Expressway

4. U.S. 101, southbound, p.m. - Santa Clara County Fair Oaks Avenue to Oakland Road

5. Interstate 80, eastbound, p.m. - Alameda County West Grand Avenue to Gilman Street

6. Interstate 880, southbound, a.m. - Alameda County I-238 to CA-237

7. Interstate 680, northbound, p.m. - Alameda County CA-262/Mission Boulevard to Calaveras Road

8. U.S. 101, northbound, a.m. - Santa Clara County Silver Creek Valley Road to North Fair Oaks Avenue

9. Interstate 880, northbound, p.m. - Alameda County Mowry Avenue to A Street

10. U.S. 101, northbound, p.m. - San Mateo County CA-84/Woodside Road to East Hillsdale Boulevard

(Source: Metropolitan Transportation Commission)