SEATTLE -- The results are in, and Seattle is ranked the ninth most congested city in a INRIX National Traffic Scorecard special report released by the Kirkland-based company, Tuesday morning. Los Angeles, New York and Chicago take the top three spots.

The study also identified the worst bottleneck in Washington. That was SR-16 as you head east approaching Union Ave in Tacoma. INRIX results found this area had a typical congestion of 51 hours per week and an average speed of 19 MPH. For those of you that enjoy numbers as much as the KIRO 7 traffic department, how about the best time to avoid commuting? The results show Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. is a time you don't want to be driving around, that was the worst congested hour for Seattle drivers.

Last time INRIX released their congestion results travel times nationally were decreasing, this time it looks like they have "bottomed out" in the first half of 2009. Based on gas prices and economic trends, INRIX predicts that congestion is at the lowest possible levels and increasing. However, the report finds that peak period congestion levels in the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue areas have further decreased (by 8 percent) compared to the first half of 2008.

INRIX's findings that congestion is decreasing for the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue are consistent with WSDOT's congestion report on Puget Sound travel times published in its most recent quarterly report, the June 30, 2009 Gray Notebook.

"The gas tax investments made in 2003 and 2005 to eliminate chokepoints and bottlenecks in the transportation system are starting to pay off," said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. "There is no single solution for traffic congestion, but experience has shown that we can reduce congestion by focusing on three key strategies: adding road capacity strategically, operating the system we have efficiently, and providing choices that help manage demand. We call that Moving Washington. The Inrix data supports our own findings - our Moving Washington approach is having a positive effect on congestion."

WSDOT reports high fuel prices and the economic recession have contributed to the improvement in travel times, as well as WSDOT's congestion relief projects. The Tukwila to Bellevue trip showed sustained year-over-year average travel time savings of 12 minutes during the morning commute. Data suggest that a contributing factor to this improvement was the completion of an auxiliary lane near the I-90 interchange that opened in January 2009. The trip time improvement has been largely sustained for the nearly six months following that lane opening.

WSDOT's congestion report found that during the first half of 2009 commute times during peak periods improved in the central Puget Sound region on 13 of 18 major commute routes in the Seattle area compared to the first half of 2008. The morning commutes from Federal Way to Seattle via I-5 and Tukwila to Bellevue via I-405 saw the biggest improvements, with travel times dropping by 7 minutes and 12 minutes respectively.

To see the complete list and results from INRIX's Scorecard go to this link.