‘Round the Square: Roads in sad shape
POTHOLES: Have you ever hit a pothole so bad that you apologize to your car?
A study from Construction Coverage says 15.1% of Pennsylvania roads are in poor condition. Interestingly, 17 other states have worse roads than we do — allegedly.
According to the study, “Rhode Island leads the nation, with 36.2% of its major roadways rated in poor condition — a slight improvement from years past. Other Northeastern states, including Massachusetts (29.3%), New York (24.3%), Maryland (21.6%), and Connecticut (20.5%), also rank among the worst.
These states feature dense urban centers, with some of the country’s oldest housing and infrastructure, yet still rely on heavily trafficked roadways.
Outside the Northeast, California reports 28.4% of its roads in poor condition, reflecting wear from its large, car-dependent population. Hawaii follows closely at 26.5%, despite its small population and geographic footprint.”
Last year, Pennsylvania was in 14th place with 17.3% in poor condition. Rhode Island was the worst, at 37.2%, while Indiana was the best at 2.7%.
Where are the roads in good shape? Kansas is in first place, with only 2.8% of its roads listed in poor condition, followed by Wyoming at 3%. Indiana is at 4.1%, followed by North Dakota at 4.2%, and Tennessee and Alabama, each at 4.7%.
Here’s what the data for Pennsylvania had to say: Share of major roadways in fair condition, 40.6%; share of major roadways in good condition, 44.3%; and daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 19.9.
For the entire United States: Poor condition, 13.1%; fair condition, 31.9%; good condition, 55.1%; miles traveled per capita, 26.5.
