Los Angeles, CA — Maryland’s highway system ranks 39th in the nation according to a new study from the Reason Foundation. That doesn’t sound good, but the state did move up one spot from last year’s Annual Highway Report.
The report is based on based on data that states submitted to the federal government. Each state is ranked in 13 categories, including pavement condition on urban and rural Interstates, deficient bridges, traffic fatalities, administrative costs, and spending per mile on state roads.
In safety and performance categories, Maryland ranks:
- Overall fatality rate 7th
- Structurally deficient bridges 14th
- Urban Interstate pavement condition 39th
- Traffic congestion 44th
Another factor in the ranking is Maryland’s high per-mile costs. “Maryland could focus on lowering its per-mile costs, reducing urban traffic congestion and improving urban Interstate pavement conditions,” said Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the Annual Highway Report and assistant director of transportation at Reason Foundation.
Ranking in Each Category
- Total Disbursements per Mile – #44
- Capital-Bridge Disbursements per Mile – #44
- Maintenance Disbursements per Mile – #45
- Administrative Disbursements per Mile – #36
- Rural Interstate Percent in Poor Condition – #27
- Urban Interstate Percent in Poor Condition – #39
- Rural Other Principal Arterial Percent in Poor Condition – #21
- Urban Other Principal Arterial Percent in Poor Condition – #34
- Urban Area Congestion* – #44
- Structurally Deficient Bridges, Percent* – #14
- Overall Fatality Rate – #7
- Rural Fatality Rate- #3
- Urban Fatality Rate – #23
North Dakota ranks first in the Annual Highway Report’s overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings for the second year in a row. Virginia and Missouri, two of the 20 most populated states in the country, are second and third in overall performance and cost-effectiveness. Maine and Kentucky round out the top five states.
The highway systems in New Jersey (50th), Alaska (49th), Rhode Island (48th), Hawaii and Massachusetts rank at the bottom of the nation in overall performance and cost-effectiveness.