It's not just you — Austin traffic really has gotten worse
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Drive time for Austinites is creeping up — even as it remains below pre-pandemic levels, per data from Texas A&M.
Why it matters: The findings put some hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different — since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Driving the news: Congestion is once again growing in many cities after a pandemic-era dip, while driver behavior has also changed, per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report.
- Traditional rush hours are returning, but there's also a "noticeable rise in midday congestion," the report finds, possibly tied to remote and hybrid work changing people's travel behaviors.
How it works: The researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration and INRIX, a transportation analytics firm.
Zoom in: Austin commuters were stuck in traffic for a total of 64 hours on average in 2024.
- That's down from the previous record of 68 hours set in 2019.
Zoom out: American drivers on average spent a record 63 hours annually stuck in traffic.
- Traffic delays remained near or below pre-pandemic levels in Dallas and San Antonio. In Houston, commuters spent a record 77 hours last year in traffic.
Yes, but: Be glad you don't have to commute in Los Angeles, where the annual traffic time was 137 hours last year.
The big picture: It's getting harder to predict when it'll be busy out on the roads, leading to "added traveler frustration," as the report puts it.
What we're watching: Whether the I-35 expansion will actually ease traffic — or just make us more like Houston.
- State officials have said the project is necessary to accommodate the region's booming population, improve emergency response times and ease traffic congestion.
- Critics say expanding the highway will just add more vehicles to Austin's roads.