Washington citizens are spending more and more—and more—time in traffic. For many of us stuck in the daily gridlock, this probably fits in the “Duh!” category, but the point was reinforced yesterday with the release of WSDOT’s 13th annual Corridor Capacity Report.

Every workday on Interstate 5 through Tacoma last year, drivers cumulatively were delayed more than 746,500 hours. That’s 35 percent more hours of delay—every day—than Pierce County experienced just two years ago.

The report notes that the stretch of I-5 by the Tacoma Dome and in the Fife vicinity “are some of the prominent points that are routinely congested, contributing to longer commute trip times …”

What is all of this costing us?

The drive through Pierce County, WSDOT estimates, costs the average person $950 per year due to wasted time and gas resulting from congestion. That congestion also leads to 20 million pounds of additional carbon emissions every year.

“What’s telling about this report is that it means for the first time a big mass of drivers (or riders, for those stuck on a bus) are approaching a condition known as 'extreme' commuting,” writes Danny Westneat in the Seattle Times. “Their commutes regularly take an hour or more each way …”

Can a completed SR 167 help?

According the WSDOT, travel time between Puyallup and Tacoma would improve by 15 percent, saving 13,915 person-hours of travel time per year. WSDOT also estimates that substantial traffic reductions are expected on I-5 as SR 167 and SR 509 provide alternatives during peak congestion.

What does that mean quantitatively? The economic benefit of saved travel time is projected to be $940 million while carbon emissions are projected to be reduced by an estimated 26 percent.

As Westneat notes: “What we’re feeling are growing pains, and on the roadways the pains are bad right now. Maybe bad enough for us to finally do something about it.”