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5 Most Congested Roads in Boston

There are several things that drivers must be wary of when they are on the road. Those who live in Boston know that certain roads are better off avoided because there are far too many vehicles on them during the day. However, drivers that are not familiar with the Boston landscape may be in stuck for hours if they choose the wrong roads. In order to prevent this from happening, a list has been composed that identifies the five most congested roads in Boston.

  1. The Southeast Expressway: The Southeast Expressway can feel like it is constantly busy. Drivers that leave their homes at 5:40 in the morning can still end up hitting traffic, causing them to alter or adjust their schedules dramatically. The drive can slow down to a crawl of about 18 mph while the worst bottleneck can last nearly a mile. Weather.com has stated that approximately 470,000 hours are wasted every year, leading to 2.44 million gallons of wasted fuel. One driver told the website that the congestion had to do with the constant construction on the roads. “One reason for the constant work on Southeast Expressway/Highway 93 may be due to the fact that Boston weather can be so right — lots of changing temps, lots of salt on the roads during the winter, etc.”
  2. Westbound Massachusetts Turnpike: The next on the list is the westbound Massachusetts Turnpike from downtown Boston to Interstate 84 in Sturbridge. While in theory, this 56-mile stretch of pavement could be driven in about an hour, it is hardly ever driven in that short amount of time. The leading contributor to congestion for this road is the fact that it is one of the few roads that connects to the eastern seaboard. In other words, those commuting to and from work will be stuck with those who are trying to head to the beach. There can be so many vehicles on this stretch of road that there is literally no progression for minutes.
  3. US 1 Northbound: The US-1 is a stretch of road that has seen several different alterations over the course of being built. It has been moved and adjusted time and time again, eventually leading to a widening project that will start in 2012 and not finish until 2015. In fact, this widening of the road will likely lead to even more congestion as drivers have to deal with less lanes of traffic as workers and vehicles take up precious space. At the same time, the smaller adjustments to the path of the road have led to confused drivers, who in turn slow down other traffic.
  4. I-93 Southbound: Just like other roads in Boston, the I-93 southbound has been the product of several different restoration projects. One of the biggest of these tasks was known as the “Big Dig” and took more than 12 years to fully complete. The project became the scapegoat for both city officials as well as irate drivers, because there were too many instances where productivity was at a standstill. There is no denying the fact that this project helped place the I-93 southbound on this list.
  5. I-95/MA-128 Northbound : The I-95 highway became another addition to the most congested roads in Boston because of a construction project that ended up being cancelled. Instead of going through the downtown area, as originally planned, I-95 loops around the Greater Boston area before eventually splitting off and turning north. Once again, the shift in construction leads to differing paths that ultimately confuse drivers and slow traffic down to a crawl.