29th Annual Highway Report: Summary of findings and rankings

Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report tracks the performance of the 50 state highway systems. Each state’s overall rating is determined by rankings in 13 categories, including highway expenditures per mile, Interstate and primary road pavement conditions, urbanized area congestion, bridge conditions, and fatality rates. The report is based on spending and performance data state highway agencies submitted to the federal government, supplemented by data from the National Bridge Inventory and INRIX.

The report evaluates a state’s highway system spending and the condition of its roadways. The most effective and efficient state systems have low average per-mile spending and smooth pavement condition, structurally sound bridges, limited traffic congestion, and low fatality rates. But performing well in each category is challenging. Many states with low overall spending and acceptable conditions rank well as do states with above-average spending and outstanding conditions. Table ES1 summarizes recent nationwide system trends for key indicators. The U.S. saw system improvements in some categories from 2020 to 2023, but declines in several other categories.

Between 2022 and 2023, three of the four disbursement measures (capital and bridge, maintenance, and administrative) for the U.S. state-owned highway system worsened (states spent more money on their highway systems in 2023 than in 2022). The other disbursement measures improved from the previous report. Seven of the nine performance measures improved, including urban Interstate pavement condition, rural other arterial pavement condition, urban other arterial pavement condition, structurally deficient bridges, rural fatality rate, urban fatality rate, and other fatality rate. Two of the nine performance measures worsened: rural Interstate pavement condition and urbanized area congestion.

Overall, states are spending more money for a better quality, safer roadway system.

29th Annual Highway Report: Table ES1: Performance of State-Owned Highway Systems, 2020-2023

Statistic	2020	2022	2023	Percent change 2022-2023	Percent change 2020-2023
Mileage Under State Control (Thousands)	868	782	823	5.24%	-5.18%
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Capital/Bridges, $	$41,783	$43,674	$47,332	8.38%	13.28%
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Maintenance, $	$14,546	$14,819	$15,382	3.80%	5.75%
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Administration, $	$5,432	$6,308	$6,788	7.61%	24.96%
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Other $	$21,908	$20,430	$19,928	-2.46%	9.04%
Consumer Price Index (1983=$1.00)	$2.64	$2.87	$3.06	6.62%	15.90%
Rural Interstate, Percent Poor Condition	2.09	2.03	2.19	7.88%	4.78%
Urban Interstate, Percent Poor Condition	4.77	4.55	4.53	-0.44%	-5.03%
Rural Other Principal Arterial, Percent Poor Condition	1.13	1.00	1.09	-9.00%	3.54%
Urban Other Principal Arterial, Percent Poor Condition	14.19	12.95	13.07	-9.27%	7.89%
Urbanized Area Congestion	21.93	41.33	35.2	14.83%	-60.51%
Structurally Deficient Bridges, Poor Condition	7.02	6.9	6.80	-1.45%	-3.13%
Rural Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles, All Arterials	1.3	1.25	1.18	-5.60%	-9.23%
Urban Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles, All Arterials	1.04	1.07	1.00	6.54%	3.85%
Other Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles	1.54	1.56	1.49	4.49%	3.25%

Table ES2 summarizes system trends over the past 10 years.

Over a 10-year period, disbursements increased, pavement quality improved, congestion improved (on a statewide basis), the percentage of structurally deficient bridges decreased, and the fatality rate decreased.

Figure ES1 displays these data points in a graph.

29th Annual Highway Report: Table ES2: Trends in Highway System Performance, 2011-2023

Statistic	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2022	2023
Mileage Under State Control (Thousands)	814	814	815	817	814	837	N/A	857	781	868	782	823
Other Disbursements per Lane-Mile, $	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$21,908	$20,430	$47,332
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Capital/Bridges, $	$81,844*	$86,153*	$84,494*	$90,969*	$91,992*	$36,681	N/A	$46,805	$41,850	$41,783	$43,674	$15,382
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Maintenance, $	$25,129*	$26,079*	$25,996*	$27,559*	$28,020*	$11,929	N/A	$15,952	$14,570	$14,546	$14,819	$6,788
Disbursements per Lane-Mile, Administration, $	$10,430*	$10,579*	$10,051*	$ 9,980*	$10,864*	$4,501	N/A	$6,443	$5,351	$5,432	$6,308	$19,928
Consumer Price Index (1983=1.00)	$2.25	$2.32	$2.35	$2.39	$2.39	$2.42	$2.48	$2.53	$2.57	$2.64	$2.87	$3.06
Rural Interstate, Percent Poor Condition	1.78*	1.78*	2.00*	2.11*	1.85*	1.96	N/A	1.89	2	2.09	2.03	2.19
Urban Interstate, Percent Poor Condition	5.18*	4.97*	5.37*	5.22*	5.02*	5.18	N/A	5.1	4.97	4.77	4.55	4.53
Rural Other Principal Arterial, Percent Poor Condition	0.77*	0.89*	1.27*	1.20*	1.35*	1.36	N/A	2.59	1.15	1.13	1	1.00
Urban Other Principal Arterial, Percent Poor Condition	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	13.97	N/A	12.06	13.52	14.19	12.95	13.07
Urbanized Area Congestion	42.15**	N/A	40.99**	51.40**	34.95**	N/A	34.7	33.43	23.83**	21.93**	41.33	35.2
Structurally Deficient Bridges, Poor Condition	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	9.60*	9.1	8.86	7.94	7.46	7.02	6.9	6.80
Other Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1.54	1.56	1.18
Rural Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles, All Arterials	N/A	N/A	N/A	1.30*	1.58*	1.71	N/A	1.42	1.26	1.3	1.25	1.00
Urban Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles, All Arterials	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.67*	0.70*	0.77	N/A	0.78	0.82	1.04	1.07	1.49

*State-controlled miles were used from 2008 to 2015. From 2016 to 2022 state-controlled lane-miles were used
**A different congestion metric was used for these years

Figure ES1: Trends in Highway System Performance

The top-performing states tend to be a mix of high-population and low-population states that lean both urban and rural. Very rural, low-population states may have had a slight advantage before 2019. But since the report changed to using expected disbursements and ratios, that advantage no longer exists. Four of the top five states are among the top 15 states in population. Low-population-density states such as Alabama and high-population- density states such as Connecticut both rank in the top 10.

States that struggle also have differing characteristics. The bottom five states include very rural, low-population Alaska, rural Louisiana, and two states with larger urbanized areas: California and Washington.

Several states had large increases or decreases in their ratings. Massachusetts’ ranking improved by 23 spots. However, the rankings for Arizona and Idaho both worsened by at least 10 spots.

Certain states spend significantly more than the national average. This spending may be justified if these states perform well in other categories. Unfortunately, some of the states that spend the most money are the worst performers:

• For capital and bridge disbursements, six states have per-mile ratios higher than 1.5: Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Indiana, and New York.
• For maintenance disbursements, five states have per-mile ratios higher than 2.0: Washington, Indiana, Oklahoma, Vermont, and New York.
• For administrative disbursements, six states have per-mile ratios higher than 2.0: Vermont, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Delaware, and New Hampshire.
• For other disbursements, four states have per-mile ratios higher than 2.0: Washington, New York, California, and Wisconsin.

System performance problems in each measured category seem to be concentrated in a handful of states:

• Approximately 44% of the rural Interstate mileage in poor condition is in just four states: Alaska, California, Colorado, and Arizona.
• Approximately 8% of the urban Interstate mileage in poor condition is in just two states: Hawaii and Louisiana.
• Approximately 6% of the rural arterial mileage in poor condition is located in Alaska alone.
• Almost 40% of the urban arterial primary mileage in poor condition is in just four states: California, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and New York.
• Automobile commuters in eight states spend more than 40 hours annually stuck in California, Georgia, Illinois, and Maryland.
• Although a majority of states saw the percentage of structurally deficient bridges decline, nine states report more than 10% of their bridges as structurally deficient: West Virginia, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Maine, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan, and North Dakota.
• Three states have rural fatality rates of 1.80 per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled or higher: Alaska, South Carolina, and Hawaii.
• Twenty-five states have urban fatality rates of 1.0 per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled or higher: New Mexico, Wyoming, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, Montana, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, South Carolina, Hawaii, Colorado, Nevada, Georgia, Oregon, Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, Maryland, Washington, Missouri, Delaware, Alabama, California, and Texas.
• Twenty states have other fatality rates of 1.5 per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled or higher: Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, Louisiana, California, Washington, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Idaho, North Carolina, Montana, and Kansas.

System performance improved for some states but declined for others this year, with slightly less than half of the states (21 of 50) making progress, a similar number (23 of 50) regressing, and the rest remaining the same between 2022 and 2023.

The 10-year average of state overall performance data shows that most state highway systems are improving over time. System performance problems are concentrated in a handful of states. These states are finding it difficult to improve. There is also increasing evidence that higher-level highway systems (Interstates, other freeways, and principal arterials) are in better shape than lower-level highway systems, particularly local roads.

29th Annual Highway Report: Each State’s Highway Performance Ranking By Category

State	Overall	Capital & Bridge Disbursements Ratio	Maintenance Disbursements Ratio	Admin Disbursements Ratio	Other Disbursements Ratio	Rural Interstate Pavement Condition	Urban Interstate Pavement Condition	Rural Arterial Pavement Condition	Urban Arterial Pavement Condition	Urbanized Area Congestion	Structurally Deficient Bridges	Rural Fatality Rate	Urban Fatality Rate	Other Fatality Rate
Virginia	1	2	26	10	4	11	21	11	15	38	10	29	6	26
Georgia	2	11	13	24	7	16	14	3	2	45	5	23	37	24
South Carolina	3	1	3	4	1	28	5	21	6	25	24	49	41	46
North Carolina	4	8	7	3	9	20	23	20	14	30	33	31	16	33
Ohio	5	10	6	30	17	19	25	9	35	18	14	6	18	27
North Dakota	6	30	8	9	29	7	3	23	24	2	42	26	2	12
Connecticut	7	19	11	16	22	1	11	32	21	28	18	18	15	23
Alabama	8	13	1	41	5	32	30	5	1	14	8	44	28	25
Missouri	9	3	10	5	27	23	27	13	22	26	40	15	30	16
Utah	10	33	38	20	41	8	17	10	9	19	6	22	12	3
Minnesota	11	32	43	32	38	9	16	22	3	24	11	5	1	6
Tennessee	12	17	17	23	2	14	12	27	13	36	12	20	47	42
New Hampshire	13	18	27	45	20	5	1	14	8	32	34	9	4	17
Florida	14	43	34	19	13	2	6	7	5	40	9	32	46	20
Kentucky	15	15	23	1	24	24	36	15	10	27	32	11	42	50
Maine	16	22	37	11	15	3	2	41	31	8	46	3	9	13
Massachusetts	17	6	15	38	10	36	20	17	46	49	38	2	3	2
Indiana	18	46	49	17	3	38	26	4	4	31	21	27	19	11
Kansas	19	47	21	34	45	13	18	8	19	3	20	28	8	31
Wyoming	20	24	28	13	14	27	44	1	17	4	28	46	49	8
Arkansas	21	23	5	6	26	40	38	25	28	17	22	45	35	37
Montana	22	16	36	28	30	29	15	26	27	7	31	43	45	32
Michigan	23	39	19	12	21	39	41	16	34	15	43	7	22	21
Mississippi	24	21	2	8	12	34	37	34	29	12	26	37	48	47
Nevada	25	36	31	49	35	10	22	2	11	33	2	40	38	29
Idaho	26	48	35	14	43	22	9	19	32	22	19	35	25	34
Texas	27	34	22	37	34	21	33	12	39	41	3	42	26	43
South Dakota	28	25	40	44	25	4	13	18	18	9	48	19	10	44
Nebraska	29	26	30	25	16	12	7	44	49	23	35	13	13	18
West Virginia	30	4	16	7	8	35	29	36	7	5	50	30	34	49
Wisconsin	31	24	10	24	39	26	35	39	44	24	27	7	10	10
Delaware	32	5	39	46	23	N/A	46	6	12	47	4	41	29	35
Oregon	33	40	41	40	37	15	19	24	23	34	15	47	36	41
Maryland	34	20	32	36	42	30	43	30	43	43	13	1	32	14
Iowa	35	42	24	26	19	33	32	38	26	1	49	17	24	19
Pennsylvania	36	7	20	15	39	41	40	37	37	42	45	8	21	36
Illinois	37	35	18	27	32	25	34	46	33	44	41	25	23	30
Vermont	38	37	47	50	46	18	4	43	25	6	7	10	7	10
New Mexico	39	12	4	47	31	42	31	35	38	13	17	38	50	22
New Jersey	40	44	42	31	40	17	42	31	41	50	27	16	14	4
Arizona	41	29	12	48	36	45	24	42	20	11	1	39	43	48
Colorado	42	27	33	33	18	46	45	33	36	35	16	33	39	28
Rhode Island	43	31	29	18	11	6	10	49	48	37	47	4	20	15
Hawaii	44	9	9	29	6	N/A	50	48	40	20	30	48	40	1
Oklahoma	45	38	48	42	44	31	39	45	30	16	36	24	44	45
Louisiana	46	14	25	2	33	44	49	47	42	29	44	21	33	40
New York	47	45	46	43	49	37	47	28	47	48	39	12	17	9
Washington	48	50	50	39	50	43	28	29	44	39	23	34	31	38
California	49	41	44	35	48	47	48	39	50	46	25	36	27	39
Alaska	50	49	45	21	28	48	8	50	16	10	37	50	11	5

Figure ES2 shows each state’s ranking based on 2023 data.

The post 29th Annual Highway Report: Summary of findings and rankings appeared first on Reason Foundation.

Source: https://reason.org/highway-report/29th-annual-highway-report/executive-summary/