Traffic has been steadily building since late 2020 in the Philadelphia region and people are noticing, writes John Paul for 6ABC.

Some, like Justin Cutler, of Bala Cynwyd, believe we are back where we were before the pandemic.

“I think we’re back to normal,” he said. “More people are going to work, more people are getting called back to their offices.”

While the traffic has increased significantly, however, it has yet to reach the numbers from 2019.

Currently, it is behind by 7.5 percent. Philadelphians spent an average of 114 hours stuck in traffic in 2022, which is still 20 percent less than pre-pandemic numbers.

Flexible jobs that allow employees to work from home are the main culprit for the prolonged reduction in traffic.

The morning rush has also changed, as fewer people are hitting the roads that early.

“The biggest difference, in the morning, there’s a 12.5 percent decrease still,” said Robyn Briggs, of PennDOT. “In the evening, there’s an eight percent decrease.”

Unlike weekdays, Sundays have become busier following the pandemic. Traffic has jumped around two percent since 2019.

Read more about local traffic at 6ABC.