Houston traffic rebounding as people get on the road
Traffic all but disappeared, with drive times slashed in half on some freeways during the shutdown.
But now, with more people returning to the office and businesses reopening, traffic is rebounding.
Transtar counts the number of cars on freeways every day of the year. Over the past few weeks, those numbers took a nosedive in the midst of the pandemic.
But since mid-April, the data shows a gradual return to more normal conditions week over week.
On Friday April 17, traffic was down 33% from the same Friday last year.
A week later, on Friday, April 24, the difference wasn't quite as dramatic but it was down 31%
The following Friday, May 1, there was just a 24% percent drop. And last Friday, May 8, it was down just 20% from last year.
In other words, the gap is narrowing week after week as people start getting back on the road again.
Experts at Transtar say until school is back in session and businesses allow employees back in large numbers, we do not expect to see the same kind of congestion that we saw pre-shut down.
Traffic changes on a daily basis, so extra time will help you be prepared for those ever-changing conditions.
Do you hate Houston traffic as much as we do? Join the club!
