Whether traveling by personal automobile, carpool or public transit, Michigan’s transportation network is vital in delivering hundreds of thousands of employees around the state to their various jobs. But today’s commutes are longer, more stressful and more costly than ever before. Consider that:

• Commute times in Michigan have increased over the past decade, primarily as a result of increased traffic congestion. The average daily one-way commute increased from 21.2 minutes in 1990 to 24.1 minutes in 2000.

• As a result, the typical commuter in Michigan now spends on average an additional 24 hours a year in traffic – the equivalent of 3 working days – than 10 years ago.

• The 2005 Urban Mobility Study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute found Detroit rush-hour drivers spend 57 hours stuck in traffic each year, eighth-highest in the nation.

• Delays from traffic bottlenecks around the state cost Michigan consumers $32.15 an hour due to congestion, unnecessary fuel usage and lost time and productivity according to the American Highway Users Alliance and the American Trucking Associations.

• Growing congestion leads to higher rates of consumer inflation, as it takes more time for companies to deliver and receive goods from crowded areas. These higher expenses and the additional money spent to pay drivers are then passed onto consumers.