Oklahoma City Ranked Poorly in Traffic Congestion Nationally

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A national traffic scorecard ranks Oklahoma City as 40th in the nation for traffic congestion.

The 2009 INRIX National Traffic Scorecard shows since 2006 Oklahoma City has dropped eight spots on that list. It goes on to identify which highways in the city have the biggest problems.

Six of the top 10 trouble spots are on Interstate 235. The report says the worst place and time is I-235 southbound near the 6th Street / Harrison Avenue downtown exit on Thursdays between 5 and 6 p.m. The good news is ODOT already has plans to help relieve some of that congestion.

"We do have a project addressing some capacity issues, and improvements of the ramps right at 235 and Harrison Street," ODOT Spokesperson Terry Angier said.

Out of 100 cities monitored INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, in 2009 Oklahoma City ranked 40th in the nation for congested highways and roads. Los Angeles was worst. Dallas came in 5th place. Tulsa was 50th.

According to its Web site, INRIX is a market-leading provider of traffic and navigation services to over 90 companies in the automotive, mobile telecom and public sectors who rely on INRIX traffic services everyday to improve how people navigate their world.