According to a recent yearly survey of the country’s highways and bridges, Virginia has been ranked as the top-performing state in terms of overall performance and cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, Alaska has been ranked at the bottom of the list.
The 27th Annual Highway Report by the Reason Foundation, Virginia has achieved its top ranking due to several factors. These include good rural pavement conditions, low fatality rates, a relatively low percentage of deficient bridges, and low highway costs.
The report’s rankings include North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Connecticut in the top five spots.
According to the report, Alaska’s highways have been ranked last in the nation due to their high fatality rates and poor pavement conditions in both urban and rural areas. The bottom five states in the ranking include New York (49th), Hawaii (48th), California (47th), and Washington (46th).
The Reason Foundation’s annual report examines all 50 states in the US across 13 categories, including urban and rural pavement conditions, urban and rural highway fatality rates, traffic congestion, structurally deficient bridges, and state highway spending on capital and maintenance projects. The report uses data from 2020 and 2021.
The national findings of the Reason Foundation’s annual report state that 21 states have improved the condition of their roads and bridges in 2020, which is the most recent year with complete data available. However, the report also highlights that highway spending slightly decreased in 2020 as compared to 2019. This decrease was due to reduced expenditures in three categories: capital and bridge spending, highway maintenance, and administrative costs.
The Reason Foundation’s annual report reveals that both national urban and rural fatality rates have increased, and pavement conditions have worsened on rural Interstate highways and urban arterial roads. Additionally, the report highlights that America’s local roads are in particularly poor condition.
According to a statement from the Reason Foundation, there is some positive news to be found in the report. It states that the overall condition of urban Interstate pavement has improved, and fewer bridges across the country are now considered structurally deficient. In addition, the report found that urban traffic congestion decreased in 2020, although this was primarily due to significant reductions in travel resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings of state highway systems
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Connecticut
- South Carolina
- Kentucky
- Florida
- North Dakota
- Utah
- Missouri
- Minnesota
- Arkansas
- New Hampshire
- Alabama
- Wyoming
- Ohio
- Mississippi
- Texas
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- Kansas
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Michigan
- South Dakota
- Illinois
- Arizona
- Iowa
- Maine
- Wisconsin
- Idaho
- Delaware
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Louisiana
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Colorado
- New Jersey
- Oklahoma
- Washington
- California
- Hawaii
- New York
- Alaska
In describing itself on its website, the foundation says, “(The) Reason Foundation advances a free society by developing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law. We use journalism and public policy research to influence the frameworks and actions of policymakers, journalists, and opinion leaders.”
