Traffic Congestion Translates to Lost Business - Patch.com

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Connecticut continues to be plagued by clogged arteries—highway arteries, that is.

According to a new study by The South Western Regional Planning Agency, or SWRPA, drivers spend a great deal of time stuck in traffic jams all along the southwestern part of the state. Aside from fueling driver frustration, the time spent in cars translates into lost business.

"Though the fact that there are delays on the region's highways during the peak travel hours is no surprise, these delays are not as omnipresent as they might seem," according to the report. "Although it is difficult to compare data from different years due to a lack of sufficient sample size and changes to the study area, it appears that peak period travel times have remained relatively constant for the last four years."

SWRPAs study came from a three-month study of traffic patterns on I-95 and the Merritt Parkway.

Will Palmquist, the author's study, traveled during peak rush hour. He used a GPS device to download speeds into SWRPA's geographical system to plot the line of travel. The program and data gleaned from the study will help SWRPA evaluate both the state's transportation system and the effectiveness of transportation improvement projects.

While the problem is worst in the Stamford-to-Bridgeport corridor in Connecticut's southwestern corridor, Hartford and New Haven areas also suffer from major congestion. This problem leaves the state at a business disadvantage.

 "The impact on business is huge," said Pete Gioia, economist with the Connecticut Business Industry Association. "There are delays in getting people to work, and getting people to want to work. It potentially slows the labor pool from which to draw from."

SWRPAs study echoes the 2010 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. Essentially Connecticut's roads are crowded.

The Texas study examined the cost of congestion.

"That is the price Value of extra travel time (which we call delay) and the extra fuel consumed by vehicles traveling at slower speeds. Travel time has a value of $16.01 per person-hour and $105.67 per truck-hour in 2009. Fuel cost per gallon is the average price for each state," according to the study.

In the Bridgeport-Stamford region, the delay per 1000s of person hours was 20,972, or 35 hours of delay per peak auto commuter, according to the study. The cost per peak auto commuter was $847, an amount that includes lost productivity and fuel.

In the greater New Haven region, the delay per 1000s of person hours was 11,952, or 29 hours of delay per peak auto commuter, according to the study. The cost per peak auto commuter was $678 annually.

"So obviously it's a significant factor," Gioia said.

There are no single solutions, he said. Any comprehensive plan will not just work to remedy I-95 or the Merritt Parkway. It will work on parallel and tributary roads such as Route 1 or I-91.