Miami residents are spending more time than ever stuck in traffic
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We've all been there: sitting on I-95 or the Turnpike — shoot, even on 836 — thinking, "Traffic is becoming unbearable."
Why it matters: A new report puts some hard data behind the sentiment that traffic has indeed gotten worse — or at least different — since the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The average U.S. car commuter is spending a record 63 hours annually stuck in traffic amid changes in when and why we drive, the report finds.
- That's the most since 1982, when the dataset begins.
Zoom in: The average car commuter in Miami spent a record 93 hours stuck in traffic last year, per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report.
- That's up from the 74 hours the average local commuter spent in traffic in 2019, just before the pandemic's onset.
- Between 2000 and 2010, the average amount of time spent in traffic was 52 hours.
The big picture: Nationwide, many cities are reporting more congestion after a pandemic-era dip, while driver behavior has also changed, per the report.
- Traditional rush hours are returning. Yet there's also been a "noticeable rise in midday congestion," the report finds, possibly tied to remote and hybrid work changing people's schedules and travel behaviors.
- Thursday has overtaken Friday with the highest share of weekly delay — perhaps "because some of the Friday travel is not associated with commuting, whereas Thursday has more of a typical commute pattern."
- Delivery trucks are adding to traffic woes as well.
How it works: The researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration and INRIX, a transportation analytics firm.
What we're watching: Last month, Miami-Dade opened its first Bus Rapid Transit system, one of the ways the county is hoping to alleviate traffic.
- And last year, the county also launched the Advanced Traffic Management System, a 10-year project aimed at improving transportation efficiency.
Reality check: Expanding a highway doesn't necessarily reduce traffic delays, researchers have found.
The bottom line: While we can't blame the worsening traffic solely on New Yorkers, we can rest easy knowing it's not just us — traffic has gotten worse.