MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — If it feels like you're stuck in traffic more often, you aren't wrong.
In Minneapolis, drivers lost 26 hours in 2022 because of traffic congestion — a 47% increase from 2021 — according to the INRIX 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard.
"Certainly, a lot of people are returning back to the office," said Anne Meyer, a Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) spokesperson.
According to MnDOT, at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, about 1.4% of Twin Cities highways experienced congestion during peak hours. That number has grown to 5.8%.
"The morning doesn't seem to be as congested as it was before the pandemic. That's continuing now, even years after. But the afternoon, that's where we're seeing more pick up in terms of traffic," Meyer said.
Unlike before the pandemic, Meyer said the timing of congestion can also be more unpredictable now.
"We don't always know when those congestion times may peak or maybe it's not as much of an issue on a Wednesday than it was on Tuesday but those factors are a little more unknown," Meyer said.
"Through COVID, it backed off when people were staying home," said Tom Jones, who has been a truck driver for 14 years.
Jones drove up to Minnesota from Missouri over the weekend. He said even now, it's still easier to drive through cities than before the pandemic.
"It fluctuates a lot. It's not constant like it used to be. I've been driving through St. Louis for several years, having grown up in Missouri. The traffic in St. Louis area is nowhere near as heavy as it used to be," Jones said.
The INRIX report found that in the Twin Cities, 26 hours stuck in traffic is still only half of what drivers experienced in 2019 — a total of 52 hours lost.
Minneapolis also had far less congestion than other cities, coming in as the 32nd most congested city in the U.S.
Chicago topped the list for the U.S. with drivers losing 155 hours to traffic a year.
MnDOT recommends using resources like Minnesota 511 to check your route ahead of time to help you avoid congested areas when you can.
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