Expect to spend more time in traffic as the economy improves.

"Economic growth is starting to pick up," Rocky Moretti, director of policy and research at transportation researcher The Road Information Program, told CNNMoney. "That's obviously a very positive trend, but you do need the transportation system to accommodate that growth."

Editor’s Note: Retire 10 Years Earlier With These 4 Stocks

Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu were the most congested U.S. cities in that order, followed by Seattle, San Jose and New York, according to TomTom's 2014 traffic study. Traffic increased in those cities, and Los Angeles congestion reached its highest level in five years.

The study also reveals that common traffic shortcuts drivers take to avoid congestion actually increased travel time by 50 percent. The Thursday evening commute has the worst peak congestion in most U.S. cities, and Kansas City and Indianapolis are the least congested cities covered in the report.

Commuters around the world are spending an average of eight working days per year stuck in traffic.

"Traffic congestion is nothing new and the traditional responses are no longer proving to be effective," says TomTom President Jocelyn Vigreux in a press statement, adding that real time traffic information can help drivers find the quickest routes and help governments make better road improvement decisions.

Besides facing more congestion, motorists are seeing a bumper crop of potholes, according to TRIP. The past winter, one of the harshest in 30 years in many regions, depleted road maintenance budgets, and the federal government has cut transportation funding. About three-quarters of states and many cities have exceeded their snow removal budgets, forcing them to reallocate monies that would otherwise be available for road repairs.

Driving on deteriorated roads costs the average urban driver $377 annually, a total of $80 billion nationwide, according to TRIP. In areas with the roughest roads, drivers lose as much as $800 each year.

More than a quarter of major urban roads are already in poor condition. In some cities, up to two-thirds of major roads are in poor condition.

"America’s already deteriorated road conditions are only going to get worse if greater funding is not made available at the local, state and federal levels,” states Will Wilkins, TRIP's executive director, in a press release.

Editor’s Note: Retire 10 Years Earlier With These 4 Stocks

Related Stories:

• Record Debt Shrinkage Means Growing Bill for Roads