Chicago Arterial Street Traffic Congestion Estimates by Segment, 2024 to Present

Historical congestion estimates for over 1,000 traffic segments on Chicago's arterial streets, starting June 11, 2024. The data is produced by the Chicago Traffic Tracker, which continuously monitors GPS traces from Chicago Transit Authority buses to estimate speeds every 10 minutes. It covers approximately 300 miles of principal arterials, with segment-level speed data showing high volatility due to frequent intersections and traffic signals.

Use Cases

• Forecast segment-level traffic speed (SPEED) using time features like HOUR, DAY_OF_WEEK, and MONTH.
• Analyze spatial patterns of congestion by mapping segments using START_LATITUDE, START_LONGITUDE, END_LATITUDE, and END_LONGITUDE.
• Correlate observed traffic conditions (SPEED) with data collection metrics like BUS_COUNT and MESSAGE_COUNT.
• Identify recurring congestion on specific STREET segments by direction (DIRECTION) and time of day (HOUR).

Strengths

• Covers over 1,000 traffic segments across approximately 300 miles of Chicago's principal arterial streets.
• Data collection is automated via continuous GPS monitoring from CTA buses, providing estimates every 10 minutes.
• Includes detailed geographic coordinates (START_LATITUDE, START_LONGITUDE) and segment attributes (LENGTH, DIRECTION).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• The description notes high volatility in segment speed (SPEED), which may complicate analysis.
• Metadata for license and author is unknown, requiring verification from the source platform.

Provenance

Source

data.cityofchicago.org

Collection Method

Real-time analysis of GPS traces received from Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses.

Time Range

2024-06-11 to present (with one earlier record from 2024-03-08).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-03 21:35:58; data is current from 2024.

Geography

City of Chicago, Illinois, USA (arterial streets, excluding freeways and O'Hare airport area).