Congestion strangling economy, FHWA says

Testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Peters said congestion must be addressed with a long-term strategy to both increase capacity and preserve the health of America's system of roads and bridges.

"Unless we manage highway congestion, our nation will continue to incur economic costs in forgone productivity, wasted fuel, and a reduced quality of life," she said. "Strategic expansion of our transportation system capacity is necessary."

Peters added that congestion and bottlenecks damage air quality, slow commerce, increase energy consumption and threaten quality of life.