WASHINGTON — Your commute might be taking up more of your time and energy than it has for much of the past few years – but it's likely still less than before COVID-19 hit.
THE QUESTION
Is traffic back to pre-pandemic levels in the DMV?
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, traffic is still lower across the map now than it was at this same time in 2019 — but data does show that it's increasing.
WHAT WE FOUND
We looked at the month of March, comparing 2022 to 2020 and a pre-pandemic March 2019. All areas saw a dip in traffic the month pandemic shutdowns began, and while traffic is back up since March of 2020, it’s still below 2019 levels across the map.
MARYLAND
March of 2020 ended with about a big drop in traffic down about 44% in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties from 2019 levels. That same time frame in 2022? Traffic is still down nearly 11% from our last pre-pandemic spring.
VIRGINIA
The month pandemic shutdowns began, VDOT reports weekday traffic volume dropped about 15% on interstates and about 25% on major roads around the District.
This past March, Virginia's major roads gauged traffic only 12% lower than pre-pandemic traffic, and only 6% lower than pre-pandemic on interstates.
Traffic is building, and a VDOT spokesperson says I-66 Inside the beltway had the most significant increase in volume from February 2022 to March 2022.
DC
In March of 2022, traffic was about 22% percent lower than in 2019 at the five busy DC locations where D-DOT tracks volume. However, that means traffic volume could be very different depending on where in town you are located.
That bumper-to-bumper DC freeway traffic just barely stops short of pre-pandemic levels though: This past March, tracking spots on 295, 395, and 695 recorded about 2% lower volume than in 2019.
WHERE WE’RE HEADED
Construction, businesses, and events could clog roads up with very different patterns than before COVID hit—and with remote work becoming more routine, traffic might never look exactly the same as it did back in 2019.