How bad is traffic congestion on IH-35?

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Can you guess which freeway is the most congested roadway in the Austin-area for 2012? Think about it for two seconds and you'll probably guess the right section of road.

Sure enough, the section of IH-35 between SH 71 and US 183 is the fourth most congested roadway in Texas, according to TxDOT.

• 100 Most Congested Roadway Segments in Texas

While that infamous stretch of road didn't top the list -- a 3.7 mile section of I-35W in Ft. Worth took that distinction -- this isn't one top 5 list that Austin wants to be a part of.

The section of IH-35 between US 183 and Howard Lane was ranked 50 as well as a few other freeway sections in Travis County.

In terms of actual streets, Slaughter Lane between Brodie Lane and SL 275 ranks 95th in most congested roadways.

No roadways in Williamson County or Hays County made the list.

The new study shows 40 percent of the delay encountered by drivers takes place in the top 20 roadways on the list. Additionally, the total delay in hours - more than 137 million hours - carries with it an economic cost in lost time and wasted fuel of nearly $3 billion.

"To truly address congestion in Texas, we must look at a variety of solutions," Phil Wilson, TxDOT Executive Director said. "Most often, reducing traffic congestion is more effectively achieved by improving or constructing alternate routes, quickly clearing crashes, re-timing traffic signals, augmenting transit and implementing workforce efforts such as telecommuting and flexible work hours.

This 100 Most Congested Roadways list is created annually with the help of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). The analysis is conducted on all roads in Texas regardless of the agency that built or maintains them; city streets and non-state-operated toll roads are included in the list.