Miserable Bay Area freeway traffic grows worse

San Francisco and Silicon Valley freeways dominated the Top 10 most congested roads in the Bay Area in 2015, according to an annual ranking released today by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Six of the top 10 routes are in some part of San Francisco or Santa Clara counties, the ranking shows.

Topping the list is the afternoon and evening drive on U.S. Highway 101/eastbound Interstate Highway 80 in San Francisco from Interstate Highway 280 to the Treasure Island Tunnel.

Number two on the list is the westbound commute on Interstate High 80 from Hercules to San Francisco, which topped the previous ranking.

But that route also made history this year because congestion now usually lasts from 5:35 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. each day, which is the first time congestion on a Bay Area freeway has not been interrupted by a mid-day break, officials with the commission said.

Santa Clara County Supervisor and commission Chair Dave Cortese said job growth in San Francisco and the South Bay and the location of affordable housing are the reasons behind the congestion:

“The congestion data really underscore both robust job growth we’ve seen in the South Bay and San Francisco, and the persistent imbalance between where those jobs are located and where comparatively affordable housing can be found.”

Nearly half of a record 3.7 million jobs in the Bay Area in 2015 were located in San Francisco or in Silicon Valley, while more affordable housing is located outside of those areas.

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