Report: Minneapolis Is No. 85 In World For Traffic Congestion

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's pretty standard knowledge that Los Angeles traffic is the worst, but what about Minneapolis?

According to a recent report on traffic, Minneapolis doesn't even break into the top 50 in terms of traffic congestion worldwide.

On the INRIX 2017 Traffic Scorecard Report, Minneapolis came in at a No. 85 for traffic congestion. In the United States, it comes in as the 15th worst city for traffic.

The report says 7 percent of driving time was spent in Minneapolis congestion in 2017 – and 41 peak hours spent in traffic jams.

Unfortunately, St. Paul wasn't included in the list.

The top three worst cities for traffic in world were Los Angeles, Moscow (Russia) and New York City. Sao Paulo, Brazil took fourth.

According to the study, Minneapolis drivers on average spend $1,332 per year while stuck in congested traffic. New York City drivers spend $2,982, Los Angeles $2,828, and Chicago drivers spend $1,994.

Los Angeles drivers also spend 102 hours on congestion per year according to the study, which was the highest number not only in the United States but the world.

Kevin Gutknect, MnDOT Director of Communications, wouldn't comment directly on the study's findings, but he did release a statement saying in part:

"Congestion is an issue in the metro area, it has remained steady or increased a bit over the last few years. We are working on ways to manage it. We have the Regional Transportation Management Center, the MnPASS lanes for instance.  There has also been construction work in the metro area, which has caused congestion over the last few summers.  We continue to work on it. Funding is also a challenge. While we've seen some short-term increases in funding, over the long-term, funding will lead us to do primarily preservation work, and little expansion. That will also affect congestion over the long-term."