Portland Has the Dubious Honor of Hosting Three of the Worst Highways for Traffic Snarl-Ups in Oregon

Portland comes out tops for the worst traffic snarl-ups in Oregon, with drivers entering a mental state of a third dimension while sitting for what seems a lifetime in unmoving lanes of vehicles.

Which Rush Hour Traffic Makes You Rethink Your Life?

This fact was revealed in a survey of 3,004 motorists who were all asked the same question – which rush hour traffic makes you rethink your whole life?

Portland nabbed all three of the top spots for traffic jams in Oregon.

The Interstate-5 is Notorious for Clogging Traffic

#1 – The I-5 through the Rose Quarter to the Columbia River and the Interstate Bridge.

This stretch of the interstate is notorious for clogging traffic for more than 6.5 hours daily, largely because it includes the area where three interstates converge.

During rush hours, drivers can rethink their lives in slow motion as views of the Moda Center and Willamette River slowly, very slowly, crawl by.

Who can blame motorists for rethinking their life choice of moving away from the inner city, wondering if the traffic grind was worth the cost of the daily commute?

Sunset Highway Where Snails Can Challenge the Speed of the Traffic

#2 US-26 – Sunset Highway from OR-217 to the Vista Ridge Tunnel.

The highway takes commuters from the western suburbs of Beaverton and Hillsboro into downtown at a speed a snail could challenge.

City-goers and Silicon Forest workers are greeted daily by the bottleneck snarl-up as they converge toward the tunnel. The traffic backup can extend for miles before entering Portland.

Once again, drivers cannot be blamed for questioning their sanity when they decide to move into a house in the suburbs as they crawl by majestic Douglas firs that fail to attract a passing glance.

Interstate-205 Where Motorists Enter a Glazed Donut Daze Phase

#3 I-205 – Portland/Vancouver bypass to Glenn Jackson Bridge.

The interstate is the eastern bypass of Portland, linking Vancouver, WA, and the east side of Oregon.

As drivers approach the Glenn Jackson Bridge to carry them over the Columbia River, rush hour traffic grinds to a near standstill. No matter how breathtaking the scenery across the water, at 5 mph motorists either enter a glazed donut daze phase or once again reconsider their decision to move to a suburb in the west.