The worst city intersections are along Kolb Road at East 22nd Street, Broadway and Speedway. They ranked first, second and eighth for congestion. Glock said problems along Kolb are the result of heavy development in the east and northeast, and its use as a thoroughfare to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the airport and major southside employment centers. Among east-west streets, six of the 25 worst intersections are along East 22nd Street, while Grant, Speedway, Fifth Street and Broadway have four each. While the city's biggest problems are at intersections, in Pima County the deficiency is with the roads themselves.
Traffic counts on many of the narrow county roads are jaw-dropping.
The two-lane stretch of East River Road from North First Avenue to Campbell carried 2,300 vehicles a day in 1960. By 1970, it was up to 4,000 vehicles a day. Today, it's more than 27,000. At peak hours, traffic on that section of River commonly backs up the full mile between the two intersections. Thornydale Road north of West Ina Road carried 350 vehicles a day in 1970.