In WASHINGTON story headlined "US traffic almost 4 times worse than in 1982-study," please substitute the eighth paragraph with ... The cost of congestion in 2000 was put at $68 billion, a combination of 3.6 billion hours of lost productivity and 5.7 billion gallons of excess fuel consumption ... (correcting to make clear not all of the cost was due to fuel consumption)
A corrected story follows.
By Vanessa Thomas
WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The average U.S. driver sits in rush-hour traffic for 15 minutes each working day -- almost four times longer than in 1982, a transportation research report found on Thursday.
Drivers in Los Angeles averaged 136 hours a year in rush-hour traffic -- the worst in the nation, according to the annual roadway congestion survey by the Texas Transportation Institute. The San Francisco metropolitan area was the second worst at 92 hours per driver, followed by Washington, D.C., at 84, Seattle, 82, and Houston, 75.
The transportation institute, which is part of Texas A&M University, concluded in its study of 75 urban areas that U.S. drivers and passengers sat in rush-hour traffic for an average of 62 hours in 2000, the most recent year with complete data. That was up from 60 hours in 1999 and 16 hours in 1982.
The rush-hour period has grown to seven hours each day, 2.5 hours longer than in 1982.
"The more congested the system, the less reliable it is," said researcher Tim Lomax, who co-authored the study with David Schrank.
"Traffic congestion creates a combination of frustrated people, a lack of economic productivity and a loss of movement," Lomax said.
Roadway gridlock came with a high price, said the institute, which uses data from the Federal Highway Administration and 10 state transportation departments.
The cost of congestion in 2000 was put at $68 billion, a combination of 3.6 billion hours of lost productivity and 5.7 billion gallons of excess fuel consumption.
Just to keep 2000's gridlock at 1999 levels would have required the 75 urban areas to build 297 miles (478 km) of new six-lane freeways, and 432 miles (695 km) of six-lane streets, the study said.
Alternatively, 6.2 million extra trips per day via carpools or transit could have maintained congestion at 1999 levels.
Lomax said a mix of extra roadways and increased transit was required along with more efficient roads and better promotion of transit alternatives.
"It's not just a case of building more highways, it's a case of operating what we have better," said Lomax. "It's about getting people to travel other than the peak period and having the ability to control the streets and freeways better."