Today I heard on the news about a collision that closed all lanes of Highway 401 westbound at Highway 427, and I was surprised to hear where the backup starts - 13 km away. As of now, it's been 3 hours since the collision occurred and rush hour has started.
So perhaps this thread would be a nice place to document very long traffic jams due to certain events on the road.
(https://i.imgur.com/hfk2THC.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/VPuxi8c.png)
EDIT: 2 hours later, they opened up one lane, but now the backup is 18 km long.
(https://i.imgur.com/OuxYcm3.png)
One wrong move on westbound I-96 in the Novi/Wixom area during evening rush hour can back up traffic for several miles.
The Hernando DeSoto bridge (I-40 over the Mississippi)'s ongoing closure has caused backups for many miles in recent days.
Aerial View (https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/comments/nb369o/in_case_anyone_is_curious_how_backed_up_i40_is/) of the backup via reddit user u/Flying_pharmacist
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51174315357_a8725f97f8.jpg)
I still have this screenshot saved from September 2019 - I-95 between DC & Baltimore had a crash one afternoon during rush hour, and it jammed up* not only I-95 but parallel US 29, US 1, MD 295 and even perpendicular MD 32 & MD 100.
*jammed up beyond their normal level of rush-hour congestion, anyway :ded:
(https://i.ibb.co/GtcSy19/95.jpg) (https://ibb.co/RBzwfMN)
Anything on I-5 between CA 138 and CA 126 tends to cause big traffic bottlenecks given there is no viable alternatives.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 14, 2021, 03:27:58 PM
I still have this screenshot saved from September 2019 - I-95 between DC & Baltimore had a crash one afternoon during rush hour, and it jammed up* not only I-95 but parallel US 29, US 1, MD 295 and even perpendicular MD 32 & MD 100.
*jammed up beyond their normal level of rush-hour congestion, anyway :ded:
(https://i.ibb.co/GtcSy19/95.jpg) (https://ibb.co/RBzwfMN)
That just looks like a normal Friday afternoon :spin:
Well, if you were talking about I-95 in Virginia.
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 14, 2021, 03:31:42 PM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 14, 2021, 03:27:58 PM
I still have this screenshot saved from September 2019 - I-95 between DC & Baltimore had a crash one afternoon during rush hour, and it jammed up* not only I-95 but parallel US 29, US 1, MD 295 and even perpendicular MD 32 & MD 100.
*jammed up beyond their normal level of rush-hour congestion, anyway :ded:
(https://i.ibb.co/GtcSy19/95.jpg) (https://ibb.co/RBzwfMN)
That just looks like a normal Friday afternoon :spin:
Well, if you were talking about I-95 in Virginia.
I used to live and work in that area my house was very close to the intersection of US-29 and MD-32 - I do not miss the traffic at all!!
I-94 heading northwest out of the Twin Cities. If there's a crash or even a lane closure for construction, you're going to be chilling with a herd of trucks for several miles.
During normal times, I experienced 14 mile backups on a regular basis on my commute home.
I've been the victim of the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington being raised before. I was heading north into Washington, and the backup started near the Rose Quarter.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 14, 2021, 03:45:40 PM
During normal times, I experienced 14 mile backups on a regular basis on my commute home.
Although I think it is worth distinguishing between 14 miles of stop-and-go rush hour traffic and 14 miles of traffic due to an abnormal incident.
Before the current Zilwaukee Bridge and I-675 were built the drawbridge in Zilwaukee would cause I-75 to backup for 15-20 miles in some cases. It was only four lanes back then too.
Back in the summer of 2019, the closure of the NY 104 EB ramp over NY 590 caused some major problems, unlike anything I've ever seen in this area on a recurring basis (granted, in a metro area known for having it very easy with traffic).
Here (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1487.msg2429850#msg2429850) is the post I made at the time detailing the issue. In short, all traffic to the Bay Bridge (NY 104) had to funnel onto NY 590 NB, which subsequently jammed and caused traffic to detour via NY 404 and NY 286, which then also backed up into the valley.
Northern Kentucky when the Brent Spence Bridge closed was all red everywhere
SM-G950U
My favorite thing to do is when there's a big snowstorm over the entire Chicagoland area, and you go on Apple Maps and zoom out to see every single freeway reporting either yellow or red conditions. Unfortunately I don't have any screenshots, and by my calculations it's currently going into "not snowstorm" season, so...
Also, I'm surprised a thread like this hasn't been created sooner. Traffic jams are fun to look at when you aren't stuck in them. :bigass:
Quote from: OCGuy81 on May 14, 2021, 03:52:33 PM
I've been the victim of the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington being raised before. I was heading north into Washington, and the backup started near the Rose Quarter.
That reminds me of when there were all these one lane bridges with traffic lights.
...
Quotevery long traffic jams
Interstate 35 in Texas has immense traffic congestion problems. Traffic is backed up be cause the interchanges need to be upgraded. Often every lane slows down and stops. Interstate 35 usually has Frontage Roads but the bridges are out most of the time. The frontage roads are still able to provide detours to other highways but they are usually 2 lane and very busy at grade rail road crossings.
I-80 and US 50 over the Sierra can be calamitously bad on winter weekends when the weather is not cooperating.
Here's the California Highway Patrol's Placerville office Facebook poster at the end of his/her rope on Washington's Birthday weekend a couple years ago.
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2358629117703944&id=1464321477134717&sfnsn=mo (https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2358629117703944&id=1464321477134717&sfnsn=mo)
QuoteCHP - Placerville
February 15, 2019 ·
***Current conditions as of 11:30 PM 2/15/19***
STOP DRIVING UP HERE FROM OUT OF AREA.
We cannot handle the amount of vehicles that keep coming up and getting stuck here. There are no alternate routes.
Expect 6-8 hour delays.
US-50 is being closed intermittently for avalanche control.
Exits in Pollock Pines are being shut down for everyone except residents.
Just please stop coming up here. The situation is too much for the area to handle and there is nowhere for you to go.
I-80 is open. Go that way!
We have every available officer up there and have even held over the previous shift.
Hoping our media partners can help spread the word.
I think just about anything on the Fritzowl Expressway would cause a massive disaster.
Last week there was a truck/pedestrian accident on US-131 southbound just before rush hour near the Kent/Allegan county line. 131 SB was closed at 100th St, diverting traffic to Division, Clyde Park, and even Byron Center into Allegan County. Luckily, my commute is northbound during that time frame, but I noticed a long line of cars (along with semis) coming down 135th Ave toward US-131 from Division in Wayland.
On my way back from FL this year, I-75 was backed up over 10 miles due to a truck fire on the south side of Atlanta during rush hour, which dumped a lot of traffic onto US-23 or 19/41
The MUTCD has three classes of incidents:
A. Major–expected duration of more than 2 hours,
B. Intermediate–expected duration of 30 minutes to 2 hours, and
C. Minor–expected duration under 30 minutes.
Duration class A, the worst of the bunch in terms of congestion impact, can often be classified as one of the following:
- Fatal crash requiring reconstruction
- Crash requiring extended extraction of persons involved in the crash
- Sometimes a combination of the two above
- HAZMAT crash (fire/explosion or just an offload of the hazardous cargo which can take many hours)
- Fuel spill and clean-up
- An abnormally large number of vehicles in a crash (such as in heavy fog or "unexpected" snow or ice)
- Non-HAZMAT cargo spill
- Commercial vehicle fire (not HAZMAT) to include trash truck fires
- Crime scene related to a crash
In Minnesota they'd do their best to get traffic through. In Austin they close the freeway down for hours to investigate. Idiot runs across freeway, gets hit. :P
Quote from: texaskdog on May 19, 2021, 01:22:16 AM
In Minnesota they'd do their best to get traffic through. In Austin they close the freeway down for hours to investigate. Idiot runs across freeway, gets hit. :P
That's usually a fatal crash, and those will take a while to investigate.
The worst ongoing backup in Texas is when they close a single lane virtually anywhere on I-20 between Terrell and Shreveport.
I-4 is another one. Shut one lane down and the backups occur miles behind it.
Although this isn't an accident or road closure, this is simply weather.
I find it funny that rain can singlehandedly cause the whole city to get jammed.
(https://i.imgur.com/lchT1OA.png)
Quote from: andrepoiy on June 25, 2021, 06:05:24 PM
Although this isn't an accident or road closure, this is simply weather.
I find it funny that rain can singlehandedly cause the whole city to get jammed.
(https://i.imgur.com/lchT1OA.png)
On the other hand, rain can cause traffic that would normally be stopped to flow at about 30 mph due to reduced demand.
I don't have a screenshot. But accidents happen frequently on I-10 in the mountain passes east and west of the Coachella Valley. I-10 is only two lanes each way east of the valley and accidents around Chiriaco Summit (https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6516055,-115.7225061,13z?hl=en) are often late night-single driver accidents caused by someone falling asleep at the wheel. These will shut down the highway for several hours, but are usually cleared out by about 7 AM. Accidents between Banning and CA 111 (https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9070799,-116.7643965,12.71z/data=!5m1!1e1?hl=en) can be a disaster with four lanes of traffic each way and no alternatives. It can be bad enough without accidents (especially with the current construction project), with traffic from events like Coachella and Stagecoach causing hours-long backups. Wind in San Gorgonio Pass can be especially bad with the big rigs, and car/truck accidents are a common occurrence during high wind events. (Car/truck accidents are frequent enough here that we get commercials for accident-chasing lawyers who specialize in those cases.) So far, I've been lucky enough not to get caught going home to PS but I did once turn around when heading to the IE because an accident had closed I-10 at Cabazon.
Similar problems probably occur at most interstate Western passes. Traffic is bad enough exiting the LA Basin on I-5 up the Grapevine or on I-15 through Cajon Pass to Vegas on Fridays. Accidents will completely trash these traffic bottlenecks for hours, though both are wide enough that it's rare that all the lanes are blocked.
Spill something on a roadway in the Seattle area and you can generate a fun traffic jam:
March 24, 2015 - A salmon truck (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/overturned-fish-truck-creates-highway-99-rush-hour-debacle/) overturned on the approach to the Alaskan Way Viaduct, blocking the southbound lanes at 2:30 pm. Gridlock ensues on parallel corridors and the truck isn't removed until 9:30. A Sounders game was delayed by 30 minutes as fans (and goalkeeper Stefan Frei) had to find ways of reaching the stadium.
April 4, 2016 - A crab truck (https://komonews.com/news/local/semi-overturns-on-alaskan-way-viaduct-threatening-large-traffic-snarls) overturns on the viaduct and blocks the northbound lanes for 3 hours.
February 27, 2017 - A propane truck (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/semi-rollover-on-i-5-near-west-seattle-bridge-blocking-lanes/) overturns on I-5 and closes the southbound lanes for 8 hours.
And more: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/05/23/26479809/the-weird-shit-that-has-spilled-on-seattle-highways
when the Cape Fear bridge in downtown Wilmington NC opens, traffic all around the area becomes chaotic. I have only been caught by it once, but I have seen the traffic nightmare that is created. The bridge has a twitter that announces openings. Looking back, it seems like most openings happen on non-peak times, but on june 18 it opened at 5:30 PM
Another condition I will attribute to major backups is the lack of an alternative route. The obvious cases involve bridges, tunnels, etc. but even just where there is no parallel route that can take some of the traffic. That rarely helps those already stuck but it can provide relief for those further out. A major benefit of retaining US routes that parallel freeways.
It's not causing big backups yet because it's Saturday night, and I-70 is once again closed in Glenwood Canyon. CDOT calls for a 3 hour detour. The big backups come from extended closures when trucks and other long vehicles try to shortcut over Independence Pass or the dirt Cottonwood Pass near Eagle and get stuck, blocking the only closer alternative routes.
Current traffic conditions:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51272310527_9886da248f_c.jpg)
Not necessarily a long backup, but this happening right now at 9:40 PM due to... you guessed it, ice!!!!!!!
(https://i.imgur.com/4fN7FfX.png)
The worst I've seen in the Richmond area was about 10 years ago, when a truck leaked chemicals onto I-95 NB just before Exit 92 (VA 54 Ashland), shutting down the interstate. This occurred at about 4pm on a Friday, so not only right in time for rush hour but also weekend travel. The closure and cleanup caused the highway to back up all the way past Exit 69, a distance of 23 miles. I-295 was also backed up considerably, and both US 1 and US 301 through Hanover County was jammed with traffic trying to get around the spill in both directions.
Quote from: texaskdog on May 19, 2021, 01:22:16 AM
In Minnesota they'd do their best to get traffic through. In Austin they close the freeway down for hours to investigate. Idiot runs across freeway, gets hit. :P
It is that way all over Texas
EXCEPT for Houston. In most of Texas a non-injury accident with disabled vehicles will take two hours to clear. In Houston, generally about half an hour or less.
As an aside, the worst traffic tieups in all time in Texas was when they widened the Lake Ray Hubbard Bridges on I-30 back in the 80's.
Currently the lane closures for resurfacing (which are just about always ongoing) along I-20 close one lane and result in delays of hours especially when the work is on the EB lanes.
US 50 has been the only trans-Sierra highway open today in the Reno/Tahoe region. Westbound traffic has been backed up from the bottom of the Echo Summit portion at Meyers, all the way through the City of South Lake Tahoe and several miles back into Nevada, well over 15 miles. I walked from my house to a local store along a part of 50 in Nevada and my 3 mph pace was beating the cars easily.
Quote from: gonealookin on December 28, 2021, 07:36:53 PM
US 50 has been the only trans-Sierra highway open today in the Reno/Tahoe region. Westbound traffic has been backed up from the bottom of the Echo Summit portion at Meyers, all the way through the City of South Lake Tahoe and several miles back into Nevada, well over 15 miles. I walked from my house to a local store along a part of 50 in Nevada and my 3 mph pace was beating the cars easily.
I suspect a lot of that traffic would have been diverting to CA 58 if US 395 hadn't been closed between CA 182-CA 203. One year I had to bail out of the Tahoe region via US 95 and US 6 to reach US 395 in Bishop post snow storm. It was long but way better than sitting in traffic like you describe or dealing with potential R3 control zones.
Any minor incident on the I-95/I-64 overlap in Richmond, VA, usually north/westbound, causes backups for several miles, with I-64 sometimes backing up as far as the VA 33/Nine Mile Road exit and I-95 backing up as far as the VA 161/Bells Road exit.
Winter storm
(https://i.imgur.com/2pzVAWY.png)
EDIT: Google Maps is now telling you "don't go anywhere"
(https://i.imgur.com/4k5PFvQ.png)
Today's a good day to resurrect this thread. Lots of traffic in several states and Ontario:
(https://i.imgur.com/JBezdMi.png)
Substantial road closures in Southwestern Ontario and Western New York:
(https://i.imgur.com/yKsavv2.png)
Indeed. We've had light snow here but mostly just blowing and drifting.
It is worth noting that the orange traffic level isn't necessarily "traffic" in the traditional sense... it may also mean that traffic is light, but moving below the speed limit because of snowy and in this case also windy conditions. Red and dark red are usually actual slow traffic.
A few weeks ago, there was a scheduled construction closure of I-90 on the Lake Washington floating bridge, which caused a multi-hour backup during a Friday rush hour.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/traffic-chaos-forces-complete-closure-of-i-90-westbound-from-mercer-island/
I took this after the penny semi crash on I-95 shut down the interstate northbound through Delaware maybe five or six years ago. We've had a bee semi crash, a pumpkin semi crash, and a police pursuit / shootout all close the interstate and screw the rest of the county up like this over the past few years.
(https://i.imgur.com/z6RZXrG.png)
Certainly not the longest, but the ripple effect was astonishing to watch unfold as that morning wore on.
What's going on here in Minnesota? Have they still not recovered? I checked the radar and I don't see any new snow coming down.
(https://i.imgur.com/ykIkIKK.png)
^^ High winds causing drifting, possible white out conditions.
Closure of Highway 401 due to a fatal collision.
Since the freeway was closed in the early morning, it appears that the majority of people got the message before they left, so the backup on the freeway itself isn't particularly long.
All of the parallel routes are absolutely jammed.
Image shows morning rush hour
(https://i.imgur.com/1igub2S.png)
Quote from: webny99 on December 23, 2022, 04:59:14 PM
Indeed. We've had light snow here but mostly just blowing and drifting.
It is worth noting that the orange traffic level isn't necessarily "traffic" in the traditional sense... it may also mean that traffic is light, but moving below the speed limit because of snowy and in this case also windy conditions. Red and dark red are usually actual slow traffic.
on the topic of digital map traffic conditions... The yellow/orange color can be caused by construction crews being on roadway with phones in pockets. So the traffic may be flowing at speed, but since all those phones are slow-moving or stationary, the map service sees slow traffic.
Here's the situation during afternoon rush
This is probably the very first time I've seen any red on the traffic map on Highway 407 due to traffic volume.
(https://i.imgur.com/6uPW8KK.png)
Partially due to the I-95 closure, I slogged through one of my longest non-weather related jams last week on I-295 SB in NJ: About 20 miles. Started before Exit 45; ended after Exit 26. During rush hour, a normal jam would be about 10-14 miles (which is probably longer than most have sat in a jam...and that's again, a normal rush hour jam!) starting between Exit 40 (NJ 38) and Exit 36 (NJ 73) down to Exit 26 (I-76/NJ 42), so the additional traffic added considerably to that. For the most part, it was Jersey cars in that jam, not PA cars coming across the river.
I've concluded that NJ residents that would normally cross the Ben Franklin or Walt Whitman Bridges are taking I-295 North instead, and using a bridge above the closure point of I-95. No one interchange has been overly congested, so motorists have taken numerous different roads and bridges to get to their destinations.
I-83 in Harrisburg is a joke, especially at the 19th St bottleneck and the Eisenhower interchange. There is an accident like every single day, and every single time it messes up like half of the entire beltway.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2565798,-76.8567541,188m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2565798,-76.8567541,188m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu)
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2530718,-76.8133733,556m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2530718,-76.8133733,556m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu)
Also I-83 at the PA 581 interchange, specifically southbound because the project they did in 2012 that was supposed to fix the problem only moved the problem down the street to here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2328173,-76.891745,141m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2328173,-76.891745,141m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu)
which created a very short merge for 581 to 83 southbound traffic, resulting in many accidents. And on the northbound side, if you want to get to 581 from Carlisle Rd, you have to shoot across 2 lanes and get in the far left lane (which is pretty dangerous because it leads to a 20 MPH advisory loop ramp) and of course leads to even more accidents. I-83 in this area is like someone thought of every possible way to build a highway wrong, and then built it.