A Chicago interchange for the first time was named the most congested freight bottleneck in the country, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
ATRI, the research arm of the American Trucking Associations, released its 15th annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America.
The analysis of data from 2025 found traffic conditions continue to deteriorate, although in some instances, it’s due to work zones that result from increased infrastructure investment.
Average rush-hour truck speeds last year at the more than 300 locations ATRI tracks were 33.2 mph, 2.8% slower than the previous year.
Among the top 10 locations, the average rush-hour truck speed was 29.6 mph.
What Are the Most Congested Bottlenecks for Trucks?
For the first time ever, the intersection of I-294 and I-290/I-88 in Chicago is the top freight bottleneck in the country, surpassing the long-standing number one bottleneck in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The remaining Top 10 bottlenecks include:
2. Fort Lee, New Jersey: I-95 at SR 4
3. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
4. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
5. Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North)
6. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
7. Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)
8. Houston: I-10 at I-69/US 59
9. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
10. McDonough, Georgia: I-75
Data That Can Help Target Infrastructure Funding for Improvements
It’s a report that Congress would do well to consider as it prepares to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation programs.
Three-quarters of the top freight bottlenecks have average truck speeds of less than 45 mph.
Credit:
American Transportation Research Institute
“Congestion delays inflicted on truckers are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” said ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster in a news release.
Illinois has been home to the country’s top bottleneck before, but following a sustained effort to expand capacity, its previous number 1 bottleneck at the Jane Byrne Interchange no longer ranks in the top 25, Brewster said.
“This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions, and drive economic growth.”
“For many years, the George Washington Bridge held this infamous bottleneck title,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. “Yet targeted infrastructure investments have finally helped to boost speeds between New York and New Jersey.
“This success provides a roadmap for policymakers to invest in projects that will improve efficiency throughout our transportation system and benefit their constituents.”
How ATRI Determines the Worst Freight Bottlenecks
The 2026 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at more than 325 locations on the national highway system.
ATRI Study Examines the Scale and Causes of Growing Trucking Litigation Awards
The analysis, based on an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations, to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location.
ATRI’s truck GPS data is also used to support the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freight Mobility Initiative.
The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 325 freight-critical locations.
More information on the top freight bottlenecks is available on ATRI’s website.
What Were Last Year’s Worst Freight Bottlenecks?
