Virginia's highways top study by libertarian think tank; Alaska's are last

This year's edition of an annual study of the nation's highways and bridges finds Virginia's rank first for overall performance and cost-effectiveness, while Alaska's ranks last.

The 27th Annual Highway Report  by the Reason Foundation says Virginia earned its ranking thanks to "good rural pavement conditions, low fatality rates, a relatively small percentage of deficient bridges, and low highway costs."

North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Connecticut round out the top five in the report's rankings. 

The report says Alaska’s highways rank last in the nation due to "high fatality rates and poor urban and rural pavement conditions." The bottom five include New York (49th),  (48th), California (47th), and Washington (46th).

Using data from 2020 and 2021, the Reason Foundation’s annual report examines every state in 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.

Nationally, the study finds that 21 states improved the condition of their roads and bridges in 2020, the most recent year with complete data available. Highway spending was slightly lower in 2020 than in 2019 due to reduced expenditures in three categories: capital and bridge spending, highway maintenance, and administrative costs.  

National urban and rural fatality rates rose, and pavement conditions deteriorated on the country’s rural Interstate highways and urban arterial roads, according to the report. America’s local roads are in especially bad shape, the report says. 

A statement from the foundation said, "The good news is that overall urban Interstate pavement conditions improved, and a smaller percentage of the country’s bridges were graded as structurally deficient. Urban traffic congestion was also down in 2020, but significant reductions in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic were responsible for that decrease. 

Overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings of state highway systems  

1. Virginia
2. North Carolina
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Connecticut
6. South Carolina
7. Kentucky
8. Florida
9. North Dakota
10. Utah
11. Missouri
12. Minnesota
13. Arkansas
14. New Hampshire
15. Alabama
16. Wyoming
17. Ohio
18. Mississippi
19. Texas
20. Massachusetts
21. Nevada
22. Kansas
23. Indiana
24. Maryland
25. Montana
26. Nebraska
27. Michigan
28. South Dakota
29. Illinois
30. Arizona
31. Iowa
32. Maine
33. Wisconsin
34. Idaho
35. Delaware
36. New Mexico
37. Oregon
38. Vermont
39. West Virginia
40. Louisiana
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Colorado
44. New Jersey
45. Oklahoma
46. Washington
47. California
48. Hawaii
49. New York
50. 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."