Road rage alert: These are the worst commutes in the Valley

The Valley of the Sun is sprawling, ever-expanding and dominated by cars. As one might expect, that can make for some awful commutes.

Phoenix-area residents certainly have plenty of opinions about the experience of driving around Maricopa County. Now, a new survey suggests a few stretches of road that drivers hate traveling the most.

In February, the Pennsylvania-based personal injury law firm Munley Law conducted a national survey of 3,015 Americans who drive to work, asking them “which roads they associate most with stress, frustration, and aggressive driving.” No Arizona roadways made the top 10 — the worst commutes were dominated by roadways in California, New York, Nevada and Atlanta — but the survey did identify three Valley highways that send local drivers up the wall. (Not literally, hopefully.)

If you hate driving State Routes 101 or 51, we’re sure that’s tough. But Munley Law’s survey suggests others in the Valley have it worse. Here are the three “angriest” commutes in the Valley, per the survey.

3. Interstate 10, from Casa Grande to Chandler

This roughly 38-mile stretch of highway runs through the middle of the Gila River Indian Reservation. “The combination of high speeds, sudden slowdowns, and steady truck traffic can create difficult driving conditions,” Munley Law’s survey results read. “Construction zones and infrastructure upgrades add additional bottlenecks.” Indeed, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s interactive map currently shows a host of construction projects on this portion of I-10 — work on the ramp connecting to State Route 187, lane closures for repaving and remarking, and more.

2. The Superstition Freeway (U.S. Route 60)

This section of U.S. 60 is one of the main arteries through the East Valley and, as such, faces the heavy traffic demands of commuters going to and from downtown every day. Though the completion of the I-10 Broadway Curve has helped alleviate some traffic stress, drivers can still find themselves backed up on the Superstition Freeway at the wrong time of day. As Munley Law’s survey found, “the section between Alma School Road and Dobson Road is especially prone to brake-light waves and slowdowns.”

3. The Stack (The Interstate 10/Interstate 17 interchange)

Unless it’s the early morning or late at night, you’ll probably find yourself slowing to a crawl merging from I-10 onto I-17, or vice versa. On Tuesday afternoon, ADOT showed slowdowns in all four directions. Anyone traveling to and from the West Valley has been stuck in this kind of gridlock, where “rush-hour speeds often fall into the low 20s despite the interchange being built for high-volume traffic,” Munley Law wrote in its findings. “Rush-hour” on this stretch of road breaks the definition of the term, starting around 7 a.m. and persisting for long stretches of the day. “On the busiest days,” Munley Law wrote, “walking sometimes feels competitive with driving.” It probably does, but please, stay in your car.