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Study: Bridgeport-To-Stamford Commute On I-95 Wastes Time, Money

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- The average commuter driving the 23 miles between Bridgeport and Stamford on Interstate 95 spent 49 extra hours in his vehicle last year due to traffic congestion and paid an additional $1,174 in fuel costs, according to a study released Wednesday.

Rush-hour traffic in Stamford is typically jammed in both directions on I-95.

Rush-hour traffic in Stamford is typically jammed in both directions on I-95.

Photo Credit: City-Data.com

Poll
Do you think traffic is getting worse on I-95?
Final Results Voting Closed

Do you think traffic is getting worse on I-95?

  • Yes, the drive takes longer every day
    72%
  • Yes, but it's always been bad
    22%
  • Yes, but I have my tricks
    2%
  • I take the train
    2%
  • I telecommute
    0%
  • No, it isn't any worse
    1%

As the nation has recovered from the Great Recession, employment has grown, and so have traffic jams, according to the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard.

That’s more than two days of your life spent sitting in traffic, enough to make the Bridgeport-Stamford corridor the 19th worst commute in the U.S. last year, according to a report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and INRIX Inc.

The same groups found that in 2011 the Bridgeport-Stamford commute on I-95 ate up 42 hours and cost $902 in additional fuel costs. And gas prices have dropped since then. 

The time it takes to make the trip from Bridgeport to Stamford on Interstate 95 increases from 20 minutes at "optimal" times, to more than an hour when congestion is at its peak, the survey found.

According to the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard, travel delays due to traffic congestion caused U.S. drivers to waste more than 3 billion gallons of fuel and kept travelers stuck in their cars for nearly 7 billion extra hours – 42 hours per rush-hour commuter.

The total nationwide price tag: $160 billion, or $960 per commuter. Washington, D.C., tops the list of gridlock-plagued cities, with 82 hours of delay per commuter, followed by Los Angeles (80 hours), San Francisco (78 hours), New York (74 hours) and San Jose (67 hours).

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