Chicago’s I-294 interchange takes over as nation’s worst freight bottleneck
In ATRI’s newest report, 28 states were found to have at least one top 100 bottleneck. States with the most bottlenecks in the top 100 are Texas, Georgia, and California. ATRI
Chicago overtakes G.W. Bridge for worst trucking bottleneck
CCJ Staff | Updated Feb 20, 2026
Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026:
The interchange of Interstate 294 and Interstates 290/88 in Chicago has dethroned the George Washington Bridge interchange of I-95 at SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as the most congested freight bottleneck in the U.S., according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual Top Truck Bottleneck List.
The G.W. Bridge held the top spot on the list for the last seven consecutive years.
“Congestion delays inflicted on truckers are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” said ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster. “While these congestion metrics are getting worse, the good news is that states do not need to accept the status quo. Illinois has been home to the country’s top bottleneck before, but following a sustained effort to expand capacity, its previous No. 1 bottleneck at the Jane Byrne Interchange no longer ranks in the top 25. This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions, and drive economic growth.”
The annual list measures the level of truck-involved congestion at more than 325 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location.
Current I-290 News
New National Report Ranks I-294/I-290/I-88 Interchange as Most Congested Freight Bottleneck in the U.S.
New national data shows the interchange of Interstate 294 and Interstates 290/88 in the Chicago region is now the most congested freight interchange in the United States, underscoring the urgent need to advance the I-290 Blue Line Reconstruction Project. This project is widely considered the most important transportation project in Illinois.
Granite wins IDOT’s first-ever CM/GC contract for$350 million I-290 drainage project
Granite Construction has been selected by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)for a construction manager/general contractor contract to for the I-290 drainageimprovements project in Chicago — IDOT’s first-ever CM/GC project.
Granite to build $350 million I-290 drainage, sewer upgrade inChicago
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has selected Granite for its first ConstructionManager/General Contractor (CM/GC) contract, advancing a $350 million stormwater and drainage improvementproject along the I-290 corridor in Chicago.
USDOT Awards $10M to I-290 Under Reconnecting Communities Program
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Illinois a $10 million grant through the Reconnecting Communities Program to fund the Reconnecting Independence Boulevard: