Traffic congestion's toll is $7.3 billion a year in Chicago area

Traffic congestion in the Chicago area costs $7.3 billion a year in lost time and wasted fuel, almost double previous projections, according to a study released Tuesday. The report, commissioned by the Metropolitan Planning Council, prompted calls for reinvestment in mass transit and road-expansion projects before the problem worsens. "If we thought we had to get our act together before and select the most efficient congestion-relief projects, this report just intensifies the urgency," said Peter Skosey, a vice president for the planning council. The study, "Moving at the Speed of Congestion: The True Costs of Traffic in the Chicago Metropolitan Area," recommended making a clean break from the long-held focus on Chicago and the city's central business district.

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