Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Tennessee roads ranking middle of the pack

Tennessee state roads aren't the best in the country, but neither are they the worst, according to a report by The Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based think tank.

The report ranks Tennessee roads 20th in the country for overall performance.

States with poor road conditions include No. 43. Alabama.

Ranking below Alabama were California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Rhode Island, New York and Alaska. New Jersey was last for the eighth year in a row.

The best roads, according to the group, are in North Dakota, South Carolina, Kansas, New Mexico and Montana.

The states "that score well have been able to achieve needed improvements and adequate maintenance at relatively low cost," says David Hartgen, lead author of the study, in a prepared statement.

The study measured the performance of state-owned roads and highways from 1984 to 2005 in 12 different categories - including traffic fatalities, congestion, pavement condition, bridge condition, highway maintenance and administrative costs.

Nearly 52 percent of U.S. urban Interstates are congested and traffic fatality rates rose slightly, but road surface conditions and bridge conditions have improved, according to the report.

Tennessee Business Journal

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