According to the Bureau of Transportation, Rhode Island has the worst roads in America. That’s despite having among the top 15 highest taxation among the states, according to the Tax Foundation. Christian Winthrop reports in The Newport Buzz about the sad new ranking for Rhode Island, writing:
Rhode Island has the worst roads in America, according to recent data released by the Bureau of Transportation.
As of 2020, Rhode Island had the worst roads of any state, with 48.1% of its road miles classified as “poor” by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Even more concerning is the apparent deterioration our state’s road conditions, marked by a 33.3 percent increase in the proportion of ‘poor’ road miles from 2000 to 2020.
Following closely, New Jersey and Hawaii recorded the next-highest percentages of “poor” road miles, both exceeding 40%. New Mexico and California trailed behind with percentages of 34% and 33%, respectively.
The states with the lowest percentage of roads ranked as poor, were: Tennessee: 5.4% Wyoming: 5.7% North Dakota: 5.8% Oklahoma: 6.3% Nebraska: 7.1% Overall, the study found, 80.1% of roads in the United States were considered acceptable.
Action Line: Notice that Wyoming has the second-best roads in America, despite having the country’s second-lowest tax burden (according to the Tax Foundation). Tennessee scored America’s best roads and has the third-lowest tax burden. Your tax dollars at work. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
