TYLER/SMITH COUNTY (KYTX) - A highway in Tyler has again ranked among the state's 100 most congested roads. This time, it is not Loop 323.
South Broadway Avenue, between Grande Boulevard and Kilrush Drive near Loop 49, ranked 82nd on the state's top 100 most congested roadway, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Analysts said South Broadway scored 1.26 on the Texas Congestion Index, meaning that the time it takes to travel the stretch of road during rush hour traffic takes 26 percent longer than it would when traffic is flowing freely. For example, if it takes 10 minutes to travel between Grande and Kilrush in free-flowing traffic, it takes 12 minutes, 36 seconds during rush hour traffic.
South Broadway also scored 1.33 in analysts' Commuter Stress Index, which averages the most congested direction of traffic during rush hour, whether that be traffic from suburban areas in the morning or traffic from the city center in the evening. It means that, if it takes 10 minutes to travel the stretch of South Broadway in free-flowing traffic, it takes 13 minutes, 18 seconds during peak times.
TxDOT officials along with the Tyler Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), are currently developing a mitigation plan to address traffic flows on South Broadway, according to TxDOT. State engineers say South Broadway Avenue congestion amounts to 104,269 hours of delayed travel per year.
Two years ago, Southeast Loop 323 ranked 54th in the state for congestion. This year, it did not make the list, but South Broadway entered the list.
According to the TxDOT Statewide Planning Map's most recent measurements from 2010, Broadway Avenue south of Grande Blvd. handles between as many as 42,000 vehicles a day. It is actually a decrease from 47,000 vehicles daily in 2007.
During that span, traffic on Southeast Loop 323 decreased from 43,000 daily in 2007, to 36,000 vehicles in 2010, according to TxDOT.
According to the Tyler MPO's more recent transportation study completed in 2009, local analysts believe that, by 2035, population density along portions of South Broadway Avenue will reach as high as 20 persons and 100 employers per acre, the highest density forecast for all of Smith County.
The state's most congested road this year was Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, where analysts say traffic moves at least twice as slow during rush hour as it does during non-peak drive times. Each of the top 30 most congested Texas roads are in Tarrant, Dallas and Harris counties.
To see the list of Texas' most congested roads, click here.
