Chicago I-294/I-290 Interchange Tops New Bottleneck Rankings, Surpassing Fort Lee

Key Details Chicago's I-294 and I-290/I-88 interchange has claimed the number one spot on ATRI's 15th annual Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks list for the first time, ending Fort Lee, New Jersey's long reign at the top. Using 2025 GPS data from terabytes of real-world truck movements, ATRI analyzed over 325 freight-critical locations across the national highway system. Why It Matters Road congestion now costs the industry the equivalent of 436,000 truck drivers sitting idle for an entire year. Average rush hour truck speeds dropped to 33.2 MPH in 2025, down nearly 3 percent from the prior year, directly impacting carrier profitability and delivery windows. Geography of Congestion Atlanta dominates the top 10 with three entries, while Houston contributes two locations. Nashville, Cincinnati, and McDonough, Georgia round out the list. These freight-intensive metros consistently inflate costs and compress delivery schedules across the supply chain. Rate Update Dry van capacity loosened for the fourth consecutive week, with national spot rates falling $0.02 per mile to $2.02 per mile excluding fuel. Despite recent declines, rates remain 24 percent above year-ago levels. Midwest rates averaged $2.45 per mile, still $0.43 above the national rolling average.