Washington's Interstate Highway System Is Bad, New Ranking Says

SEATTLE, WA — A new report on the nation's highway system has bad news about the condition of America’s highway system — our freeways are deteriorating, and bridges, Interstates pavement, and roads are in much need of repair.

The Reason Foundation report was based on data that states submitted to the federal government, which ranks each state’s highway system in 14 categories, including total spending per mile, urban fatality rate on the road, and congestion.

Washington ranked No. 37 in overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings. Washington also ranked No. 35 in total dollars disbursed per mile, 37 in capital and bridge disbursements per mile, and 36 in maintenance disbursements per mile.

Washington's highways are some of the most clogged in the nation, ranked at No. 46 overall for urban congestion.

North Dakota took home the top overall spot on the list for the second year in a row, whereas New Jersey ranked the 50th overall highway system in the United State. Virginia had the biggest improvement overall from last year, as it jumped 25 spots from its previous 27th ranking, all the way into second place.

Here’s how Washington performed across the 11 other metrics:

• Maintenance Disbursements Per Mile: 37
• Administrative Disbursements Per Mile: 35
• Rural Interstate Pavement Condition: 37
• Urban Interstate Pavement Condition: 36
• Rural Arterial Pavement Condition: 30
• Urban Arterial Pavement Condition: 46
• Urbanized Area Congestion: 42
• Structurally Deficient Bridges: 9
• Overall Fatality Rate: 8
• Rural Fatality Rate: 9
• Urban Fatality Rate: 20

"To improve in the rankings, Washington needs to improve its pavement condition and reduce its traffic congestion. The state ranks in the bottom 10 in urban arterial pavement condition, rural Interstate pavement condition and traffic congestion. Compared to nearby states, the report finds Washington’s overall highway performance is better than California (ranks 43rd) but worse than Idaho (ranks 13th) and Montana (ranks 8th). Washington is doing worse than comparable states like Oregon (ranks 12th) and Colorado (ranks 36th)." — Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the Annual Highway Report and assistant director of transportation at Reason Foundation

Here are the top ten overall states in highway performance and cost-effectiveness:

1. North Dakota
2. Virginia
3. Missouri
4. Maine
5. Kentucky
6. Kansas
7. Tennessee
8. Montana
9. Utah
10. Alabama

With every ranking that includes a top ten, there’s also a bottom 10 — here are the ten worst highway systems by state:

40. Florida
41. Oklahoma
42. Delaware
43. California
44. Connecticut
45. New York
46. Massachusetts
47. Hawaii
48. Rhode Island
49. Alaska
50. New Jersey