Here's how Boston fared in this year's traffic report

"In something of a Pyrrhic victory for Boston drivers, the city improved its standing in a 2025 ranking of the most congested urban areas - even as the average Bostonian spent a whopping 83 hours languishing in traffic. Compared to last year, INRIX found that Boston drivers lost an additional four hours to traffic jams in 2025, costing about $1,529 per driver. Those 83 hours would be more than enough to log two full-time workweeks, or to watch the entire extended-cut "Lord of the Rings" trilogy seven times over - with minutes to spare."

"Still, Boston has seen worse; the average driver lost 134 hours to traffic in 2022, making Boston the fourth-worst city in the world for congestion. That was a slight improvement over 2019, when Boston commuters lost more than 149 hours to traffic and INRIX crowned the city the worst in the country for the second year running. This year, I-93 southbound got a nod as the eighth-busiest corridor in the U.S., specifically the stretch from Causeway Street to Pilgrim's Highway. That's an improvement over 2024, when the same span of highway ranked second-busiest in the nation."

"Nationwide, however, U.S. cities largely saw traffic congestion increase in 2025, INRIX said in a press release Monday. Moreover, while the percentage of people commuting by car is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, U.S. public transit is still down 22% from 2019, according to INRIX. There is, however, one bright spot: U.S. traffic fatalities have declined, returning to pre-COVID levels following a four-year"

Boston ranked fifth-worst in the U.S. and 12th globally for traffic congestion in 2025. The average Bostonian spent 83 hours in traffic in 2025, four hours more than the prior year, costing about $1,529 per driver. The I-93 southbound stretch from Causeway Street to Pilgrim's Highway ranked as the eighth-busiest U.S. corridor, down from second in 2024. Historical peaks show average drivers losing 134 hours in 2022 and more than 149 hours in 2019. Nationwide congestion increased in 2025, car commuting nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, while public transit remained 22% below 2019. U.S. traffic fatalities declined back to pre-COVID levels.

Read at Boston.com