California roads rank very low on the list for this year's Annual Highway Report. The Golden State received a 48 out of 50 ranking for the third year in a row. Only Alaska and Rhode Island are worse.
The Reason Foundation's 19th Annual Highway Report , published on Thursday, ranks the nation's roads.
According to the report, reasons for California's low ranking include drivers stuck in the worst traffic and motorist having to look out for the most potholes on urban Interstates.
Califronia, Rhode Island, Alaska, Hawaii and New York have some of the worst rankings, with the least cost-effective road systems. The report lists North Dakota, Montana and Kansas with the best rankings and the most cost-effective roads.
Overall, this years report shows that state highway conditions are the best they've been in 19 years. The report says the recession is partly responsible for this improvement since people are driving less, which has helped slow pavement deterioration and reduced traffic congestion and fatalities.
The annual Reason Foundation study measures the condition and cost-effectiveness of state-owned roads in 11 categories, including deficient bridges, urban traffic congestion, fatality rates, pavement condition on urban and rural Interstates and on major rural roads, and the number of unsafe narrow rural lanes. National performance in all of those key areas improved in 2008, the most recent year with complete data available.
Click here for a complete list of this year's rankings.
