These states have the best and worst roads in America

No matter where you live, bellyaching about potholes and road quality is an American tradition. It’s not hard to find people in every state who claim their roads are the worst, but Pennsylvania pesonal injury firm Munley Law recently studied data from the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine which have the highest average rates of acceptable road quality.

Bad roads aren’t just an annoyance. They can wreak havoc on tires, suspension systems, and can cause vibrations that loosen cosmetic components. With 94.78 percent of its roads meeting the acceptable quality standard, Idaho was found to have the best roads in the country. Georgia wasn’t far behind, with 94.5 percent, and Tennessee came in third at 94.17. The complete list appears below.

The states with the best roads likely invest more in highway maintenance. Tennessee, for example, funds its highway improvements with vehicle excise taxes, and the burden of paying for roadwork is shared by federal, state, and local governments. The state has managed to go 45 years without needing to borrow money for road construction, indicating that its funding is stable and robust. Of course, there are exceptions in every state, such as my hometown of Knoxville; Tennessee’s roads have seen better days, despite I-40 seemingly being under construction since the early 1980s when I was born.

On the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey had the worst roads, with just 50.71 percent meeting the standard. Rhode Island had 51.51 percent and Connecticut landed at 58.14 percent. The law firm blames heavy traffic and bad weather, saying they contribute heavily to potholes and deteriorating road surfaces in those Northeast states.

Ranking states with the best and worst roads:

Rank 

State  Avg. % of acceptable roads  1  Idaho  94.78  2  Georgia  94.5  3  Tennessee  94.17  4  North Dakota  93.96  5  Nebraska  92.47  6  Wyoming  91.51  7  Kentucky  91.24  8  Alabama  90.77  9  Montana  89.6  10  Oregon  89.44  11  Kansas  89.23  12  Florida  89.11  13  Nevada  88.95  14  North Carolina  88.06  15  South Dakota  88.03  16  Texas  87.78  17  Minnesota  87.03  18  Ohio  86.15  19  Iowa  86.13  20  South Carolina  85.32  21  Arizona  84.79  22  Michigan  84.57  23  Indiana  84.14  24  Arkansas  84.02  25  Virginia  82.64  26  Utah  82.45  27  Delaware  82.24  28  Illinois  80.02  29  Vermont  79.11  30  Alaska  78.49  31  New Hampshire  78.38  32  Colorado  78.2  33  Maryland  78.1  34  Missouri  77.96  35  Maine  76.16  36  Louisiana  75.74  37  Wisconsin  73.86  38  Oklahoma  73.85  39  New York  73.74  40  Pennsylvania  72.29  41  Mississippi  72.16  42  New Mexico  71.83  43  West Virginia  71.3  44  Washington  70.44  45  Massachusetts  63.47  46  California  59.65  47  Hawaii  59.27  48  Connecticut  58.14  49  Rhode Island  51.51  50  New Jersey  50.71 

 

These states have the best and worst roads in America

These states have the best and worst roads in America

These states have the best and worst roads in America

These states have the best and worst roads in America

These states have the best and worst roads in America