FRANKLYWNOW - Study: Cross Bronx Expressway most congested roadway in nation

A new traffic study found that the Cross Bronx Expressway is the most congested road in the country, prompting local officials to call for infrastructure upgrades.

According to Inrix, the Washington state traffic analysis firm that conducted the study, rush hour drivers using the expressway lose an average of 86 hours per year while traveling at an average speed of just 14 mph.

The chairman of City Council's Committee on Transportation, Ydanis Rodriguez, says traffic is the worst near 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan.

Rodriguez, along with other local officials, says the traffic on the Cross Bronx has had a negative impact on neighboring communities for years. 

He proposed eliminating tractor-trailer traffic on the expressway and replacing it with a freight train system nearby. 

The councilman says that after cutting down truck traffic there would also be less pollution and asthma-related illnesses along the 7-mile stretch.

The Bronx currently has the highest asthma rates in the state.