Phoenix Area Traffic Still Lower Than Pre-Pandemic Numbers
When the stay-at-home order was first issued in Arizona, there was a significant drop in traffic on the Valley freeways.
Vladimir Livshits, director of Transportation Technologies and Services at the Maricopa Association of Governments, says that while more drivers are returning, the numbers are still low — a 10% to 15% decrease from August 2019. As a result, highway congestion is also low.
“We actually still see a very significant reduction in congestion in the region. So it still stays at about 50 percent of the peak conditions,” Livshits said.
Some freeways are busier than others, but Livshits says it’s still not at 100%.
One thing that has remained consistent, and is even increasing in volume, is heavy truck traffic. Livshits says that there are more trucks on the highways than there were in March.
