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Steve Hudson

By The Numbers: A Look At Road Conditions And Cost-Effectiveness
August 4, 2008

In today’s competitive culture, it’s always nice to know where you stand.

The Reason Foundation recently released the results of its 17th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems, an annual study measuring each state's road conditions and expenditures. The report, which measures the condition of all state-owned roads and highways from 1984 to 2006, calculates the “effectiveness and performance of each state in 12 different categories, including pavement condition, bridge condition, traffic fatalities, congestion, highway maintenance costs, and administrative costs.”

According to the study, North Dakota does the best job of maintaining its roads and bridges, while New Jersey has the nation’s worst-performing, least cost-effective highway system.

And closer to home?

Well, Georgia was tenth among the top ten, giving it the highest ranking of the four southeastern states. According to the report, a slight drop from 6th in 2005 and 4th in 2000. Georgia is 36th in urban interstate congestion, with 54.06 percent congested. The state tied for 1st in rural interstate condition and tied for 1st in urban interstate condition. Georgia ranks 16th in deficient bridges—19.64 percent of the state’s bridges are deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Georgia is 28th in the nation in fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Next in the rankings came Tennessee, which ranked 19th in overall performance and cost-effectiveness. In last year’s rankings, Tennessee ranked 20th overall. Tennessee is 30th in urban interstate congestion, with 46.51 percent congested. The state tied for 1st in rural interstate condition and 18th in urban interstate condition. Tennessee ranks 13th in deficient bridges—18.83 percent of the state’s bridges are deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Tennessee is 37th in the nation in fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Ranked 29th in overall performance and cost-effectiveness was Alabama – a significant improvement over last year’s rankings, in which Alabama ranked 43rd overall. Alabama is 29th in urban interstate congestion, with 45.98 percent congested. The state ranks 39th in rural interstate condition and 39th in urban interstate condition. Alabama ranks 28th in deficient bridges —24.93 percent of the state’s bridges are deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Alabama is 40th in the nation in fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Florida came in at number 41. The state also ranked 41st in last year’s overall rankings. Florida is 39th in urban interstate congestion, with 56.88 percent congested. The state tied for 1st in rural interstate condition and 9th in urban interstate condition. Florida ranks 12th in deficient bridges—18.26 percent of the state’s bridges are deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Florida is 35th in the nation in fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

To see the entire report, visit http://www.reason.org/ps369.pdf.

According to the report’s preface, the Reason Foundation’s mission “is to advance a free society by developing, applying and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law.” The Foundation uses “journalism and public policy research to influence the frameworks and actions of policymakers, journalists and opinion leaders,” the report adds. The goal is to promote “choice, competition and a dynamic market economy” through “rigorous, peer-reviewed research,” with the idea being to “change the way people think about issues and promote policies that allow and encourage individiuals and voluntary institutions to flourish.”

Those rankings are certainly something to think about. Will they indeed change the way people think? I’d like to hear what you think. Let me know.

Posted by Steve Hudson on August 4, 2008 | Comments (0)