A Chicago interchange has earned the title of top U.S. freight bottleneck in 2026, surpassing a longstanding trouble spot in Fort Lee, N.J., according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released this week.
ATRI’s 15th annual list of the top 100 freight bottlenecks in the nation identifies the worst traffic areas for truckers and commuters, and is designed to help local, state, and federal governments apply surface transportation funding where it’s needed most.
Chicago’s intersection of Interstate 294 and Interstates 290/88 took the top spot this year.
“Congestion delays inflicted on truckers are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster said in a press release announcing the research. “While these congestion metrics are getting worse, the good news is that states do not need to accept the status quo. Illinois has been home to the country’s top bottleneck before, but following a sustained effort to expand capacity, its previous #1 bottleneck at the Jane Byrne Interchange no longer ranks in the top 25. This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions, and drive economic growth.”
The 2026 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at more than 325 locations on the national highway system. ATRI said 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 the latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI said it continuously monitors more than 325 freight-critical locations.
The intersection of I-294 and I-290/I-88 in Chicago is the number one freight bottleneck in the country for the first time, surpassing the long-standing number one bottleneck in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which is now number two. The remaining Top 10 bottlenecks include: Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North); Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59; Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North); Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West); Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East); Houston: I-10 at I-69/US 59; Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75; McDonough, GA: I-75.
ATRI’s analysis, which utilized data from 2025, found traffic conditions continue to deteriorate from recent years, in some instances due to work zones that result from increased infrastructure investment. Average rush hour truck speeds were 33.2 MPH, 2.8 percent slower than the previous year. Among the top 10 locations, average rush hour truck speeds were 29.6 MPH.
