How bad is Texas traffic, really? Here’s a reality check

During the holiday season, eyes will be on our airports, which are expected to see some of the largest crowds of the year. But you can expect Texas roadways to be filled with a fair number of merry travelers, too, resulting in congestion and, undoubtedly, frustration.

And when that frustration builds, there will be those who question the sanity of our state’s highway system (to say nothing of the drivers themselves), raising an interesting question: Are Texas roads as bad as we sometimes think they are?

David Schrank, a research scientist and the head of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, has studied mobility for more than 30 years, and he said our roads aren’t as bad as drivers sometimes like to think.

First, Schrank said the state of Texas, with voter approval, has invested heavily in improving the transportation infrastructure over the past 10 years through ballot initiatives such as Proposition 1 and Proposition 7, both of which earmarked funding for hundreds of road projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

There is also the ongoing Texas Clear Lanes congestion reduction initiative, introduced by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015. In Tarrant County, four Texas Clear Lanes projects have been completed on Loop 820, Jacksboro Highway, and Texas 121. The construction on Interstate 20 east of Fort Worth and the work around the I-20/I-30 convergence west of the city is also part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative.

“It’s more efficient now at moving traffic than it was a decade earlier,” Schrank said of Texas’ major roadway system. “For every mile you drive, there’s a certain amount of average delay you face. That number is actually slightly lower than it was in the past.”

In addition to road projects, Schrank said changing traffic patterns have also improved roadway flow. Many people have more flexibility now when it comes to where and when they work, which has impacted traditional rush hour congestion.

“We’re not slogging to work at 6 in the morning and slogging home at 6 in the evening like we did a decade ago,” said Schrank.

Texas road conditions

While he said traffic congestion has generally gotten better, Schrank added that you still see a lot of construction on Texas roads, which, of course, results in delays.

Some of that work is related to roadway expansion, but some of it is routine maintenance to fix things like potholes and cracks.

According to U.S. Bureau of Transportation statistics, roughly 77% of all Texas road miles are in acceptable condition. Texas ranks 33rd out of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in that measure.

But in their Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) said nearly 90% of Texas interstate and state highway pavement is in good condition or better.

Austin Messerli, a senior engineer and a member of the ASCE, said Texas’ report card grade for roads has improved slightly from a D-plus to a C-minus over the past four years, which is better than the overall D-plus on the nationwide report card.

Messerli said report card grades were based on things like road conditions, capacity, funding and expected future needs and resiliency.

Asked why Texas roads were better relative to those in other states, Messerli, like Schrank, said state funding had a lot to do with it. He also said local municipalities are also making more of a concerted effort to improve road conditions and mitigate congestion.

“Cities and counties are stepping up to take on more infrastructure development because it impacts quality of life,” said Messerli. “They’re stepping up on the maintenance side and stepping up improvement projects.”

As Texas’ population grows, Messerli said that focus on continuing improvement will be critical. By 2035, Texas’ overall personal auto traffic is expected to be 66% higher than it was in 2008, said Messerli. Over that same span, commercial truck traffic could grow by as much as 123%.

All those cars and trucks contribute to more wear and tear on Texas roadways, which could result in degradation without consistent maintenance and a little foresight in terms of designing more resilient roads.

But what about my commute?

As you read this glowing review of Texas roads, you might be rolling your eyes while thinking about your own morning and afternoon commutes, when those long streams of brake lights so often extend before you as far as the eye can see.

Texas is experiencing a growth boom, with roughly 1,500 new residents arriving each day, Schrank said, and that’s naturally going to contribute to road congestion.

Schrank said new transportation infrastructure usually follows population growth, not the other way around, creating tension.

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute annually puts out its list of the 100 most congested road segments in Texas. The most seriously congested segments create well over a million hours of driver delays in a year, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in congestion costs, stemming from things like increased fuel consumption and wasted time.

Seven of the 10 worst road segments on that list are in the Houston area. Only one in the top 10 is in Tarrant County, that stretch of Interstate 35W between I-30 and State Highway 183 that commuters heading to and from downtown Fort Worth know and loathe.

But while acknowledging that Texas traffic is an issue, Schrank said it may not be as terrible as we perceive it to be.

He said people tend to have selective memories when it comes to traffic. The bad days are seared into their minds, but they often forget about all the times when congestion is minimal.

“I would say when you actually do the math, things are better here in the last year or two than they were for us six or eight years ago,” Schrank said.

It’s hard to convince people of that, though, added Schrank. He said when someone is sitting in gridlock traffic, they’re naturally going to feel as though there’s a problem with the road system. But what they don’t see is the traffic an hour before or after them, when it could be moving along just fine.

Take that for what it’s worth. As you’re setting off en route to grandmother’s house this holiday season, brace yourselves for crowded roads, but perhaps also take a moment to appreciate the stretches that aren’t overly congested.

Maybe, as is the case with most things, there are two ways of looking at Texas roads, and slight change in perception can make all the difference.