Cleveland commuters spent more time — and money — stuck in traffic last year
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The average Cleveland car commuter spent 52 hours last year stuck in traffic — five hours more than in 2019 before the pandemic, a new report finds.
Why it matters: Traffic delays cost local auto commuters an average of $1,345 per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report.
- That's more than the average rent cost in Cleveland.
How it works: The researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration and INRIX, a transportation analytics firm.
The big picture: Cleveland commuters don't have it as bad as larger cities. The average U.S. driver spent a record 63 hours last year stuck in traffic.
- That's the most since 1982, when the dataset began.
Zoom in: Cleveland's commuter average of 52 hours in delays was still high for Ohio, ranking behind only Columbus (58 hours), and ahead of Cincinnati (50), Akron (42), Toledo (37) and Dayton (32).
- Cleveland also had the highest overall congestion time for all drivers of any Ohio city, approaching nearly 61 million hours in delays.
Between the lines: The busiest time for local traffic congestion in 2024 was from 3-6pm during the workweek.
- Approximately 60% of delays took place on freeways.
What we're watching: Cleveland is in the midst of several major traffic projects, including the I-490 rehabilitation project just west of East 55th Street.
- There's also the Innerbelt Modernization Plan along I-71, I-77 and I-90 downtown, and the I-90 rehabilitation project on the west side.
The bottom line: Such projects are ultimately aimed at improving safety and reducing delays.
- However, it will be interesting to see how they impact the 2025 congestion figures.