What Is the Worst Intersection in Your State?
Intersections are among the most dangerous places on the road. According to the Federal Highway Administration, nearly 50% of all traffic injuries in the U.S. occur at or near intersections. But which ones are the worst? Below is a curated list of the most dangerous or crash-prone intersection in each U.S. state, based on data from traffic reports, local news, insurance claims, and city accident statistics.
Worst Intersections by State (50-State List)
| State | Worst Intersection | City | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | US 280 & Valleydale Rd | Hoover | High-speed collisions and frequent congestion |
| Alaska | Seward Hwy & Tudor Rd | Anchorage | Heavy commuter traffic and poor visibility |
| Arizona | 19th Ave & Camelback Rd | Phoenix | High pedestrian and vehicle incident rate |
| Arkansas | I-30 & I-630 Interchange | Little Rock | Complex ramps and merging accidents |
| California | Devonshire St & Reseda Blvd | Los Angeles | High accident rate, especially at night |
| Colorado | Parker Rd & I-225 | Aurora | Multi-lane confusion and rear-end collisions |
| Connecticut | I-84 & I-91 Interchange | Hartford | Congestion and sudden lane changes |
| Delaware | US 13 & DE 273 | New Castle | Frequent red-light running and crashes |
| Florida | SR 826 & SR 836 | Miami | High-speed accidents and congestion |
| Georgia | I-285 & I-85 (Spaghetti Junction) | Atlanta | One of the most complex interchanges in the U.S. |
| Hawaii | H1 & Middle Street | Honolulu | Constant traffic and confusing merges |
| Idaho | Eagle Rd & Fairview Ave | Boise | High-volume corridor with many crashes |
| Illinois | Stony Island & South Chicago Ave | Chicago | Frequent T-bone accidents and red-light running |
| Indiana | US 30 & Coliseum Blvd | Fort Wayne | Heavy turning traffic and frequent crashes |
| Iowa | I-235 & 2nd Avenue | Des Moines | High-speed crashes and merging conflicts |
| Kansas | Kellogg Dr & Rock Rd | Wichita | Multiple lanes and accident clusters |
| Kentucky | Dixie Hwy & Greenwood Rd | Louisville | Red-light running and pedestrian injuries |
| Louisiana | I-10 & College Dr | Baton Rouge | Frequent fender-benders and backups |
| Maine | Forest Ave & Woodford St | Portland | Confusing turn lanes and high crash rate |
| Maryland | I-695 & I-70 Interchange | Baltimore | Heavy truck traffic and speeding |
| Massachusetts | Mass Ave & Melnea Cass Blvd | Boston | High pedestrian traffic and confusion |
| Michigan | I-75 & I-696 | Detroit | Merge zone crashes and congestion |
| Minnesota | I-94 & Hiawatha Ave | Minneapolis | Traffic signal timing issues |
| Mississippi | US 49 & Hardy St | Hattiesburg | High speeds and commercial traffic |
| Missouri | I-70 & I-270 | St. Louis | One of the busiest and most dangerous areas |
| Montana | Reserve St & Brooks St | Missoula | Multiple turn lanes and visibility issues |
| Nebraska | 72nd St & Dodge St | Omaha | Crash-prone due to turning conflicts |
| Nevada | Sahara Ave & Decatur Blvd | Las Vegas | Dense traffic and distracted driving |
| New Hampshire | NH 101 & I-93 | Manchester | High-speed collisions and ramp issues |
| New Jersey | Route 4 & Route 17 | Paramus | Heavy mall traffic and bottlenecks |
| New Mexico | Carlisle Blvd & Central Ave | Albuquerque | Pedestrian accidents and red-light running |
| New York | Atlantic Ave & Flatbush Ave | Brooklyn | Heavy congestion and pedestrian risk |
| North Carolina | I-485 & US 74 | Charlotte | High-speed merging and frequent accidents |
| North Dakota | 13th Ave S & 45th St | Fargo | Heavy retail traffic and signal issues |
| Ohio | I-71 & I-70 | Columbus | Congested interchange with high crash rate |
| Oklahoma | I-40 & I-44 | Oklahoma City | Truck-heavy traffic and complex merges |
| Oregon | 82nd Ave & Powell Blvd | Portland | High crash frequency and pedestrian risk |
| Pennsylvania | Boulevard of the Allies & Bates St | Pittsburgh | Sharp turns and merging problems |
| Rhode Island | I-95 & RI-10 | Providence | High volume and poor signage |
| South Carolina | US 17 & SC 707 | Myrtle Beach | Vacation traffic and signal delays |
| South Dakota | 41st St & Louise Ave | Sioux Falls | Retail corridor with heavy congestion |
| Tennessee | I-24 & I-40 Interchange | Nashville | Speeding and bottlenecks |
| Texas | I-35 & US 290 | Austin | Frequent rear-end crashes and congestion |
| Utah | 12300 S & State St | Draper | Dangerous turning movements and signal issues |
| Vermont | US 2 & Montpelier Junction Rd | Montpelier | Visibility and weather-related crashes |
| Virginia | I-95 & I-495 (Springfield Interchange) | Springfield | Congested with multiple exit lanes |
| Washington | SR 99 & 1st Ave S | Seattle | Truck traffic and lane confusion |
| West Virginia | I-64 & I-77 | Charleston | Merge-related accidents |
| Wisconsin | I-94 & I-894 | Milwaukee | Heavy commuter and truck traffic |
| Wyoming | Yellowstone Hwy & Beverly St | Casper | Driver misjudgment and limited sight lines |
Why These Intersections Matter
Knowing your state’s most dangerous intersection can help you be more alert when traveling through these high-risk areas. Whether due to confusing lane changes, poor signage, or sheer volume of traffic, these intersections consistently see more collisions than average. Drivers should use extra caution when approaching these areas and consider using real-time traffic navigation tools like Waze or Google Maps with traffic alerts enabled.
Stay Safe and Informed
Drive defensively, avoid distractions, and report unsafe intersections to your local Department of Transportation. For more detailed traffic data, explore reports from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).