The Best Roads in America

Every year when the snow melts, communities around the country set about fixing the potholes and cracks that winter snow plows and chained tires have dug into their roads.

To come up with a way to measure the quality of a state’s road system, we analyzed four metrics, ranked each state on each indicator, and pooled the results to generate a cumulative ranking for all 50 states.

1.    Poor-Condition Mileage. 

2.    Deficient or Obsolete Bridges. 

3.    Fatalities.

4.    Congestion. 

10th Best Roads: Georgia

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 50 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 37 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 20 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 20 out of 50
That’s not bad for a hot and humid state that contains one of the country’s biggest metropolises, Atlanta.

9th Best Roads: Utah

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 18 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 44 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 36 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 30 out of 50 
Impressive ranking for bridge conditions – with the sixth-lowest proportion of bridges deemed deficient or obsolete. That’s a significant achievement for a state whose biggest body of water is full of highly corrosive salt, which can wreak havoc on iron bridge supports.

8th Best Roads: Maine

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 34 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 15 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 35 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 45 out of 50 
Leading off a tie with Virginia for eighth, Maine obviously benefits from some degree of isolation. It’s one of the 10 least populous states in the country and the road literally ends there.

8th Best Roads: Virginia

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 37 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 18 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 41 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 33 out of 50

Tied for eighth with Maine, Virginia may be struggling to keep its bridges in order, but the state can be proud of its high marks for road safety. Among the four categories that make up our ranking, Virginia ranks best for its 10th-lowest number of road deaths.

6th Best Roads: Illinois

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 22 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 42 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 42 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 26 out of 50

It didn’t score very well for the condition of its roads or its high traffic congestion (the Chicago metro area is likely a big reason for this) 

5th Best Roads: Delaware

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 38 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 38 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 22 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 39 out of 50

At number five in our ranking is Delaware, which had quite good rankings in every category except one: fatalities.

4th Best Roads: Indiana

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 43 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 30 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 30 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 40 out of 50

Indiana, at number four, put up no standout numbers to earn its place on the best roads ranking. It had top-10 rankings in two categories (Road conditions and traffic congestion), and ranked better than half of all states for its low number of deficient bridges and traffic fatalities.

3rd Best Roads: Kansas

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 48 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 33 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 26 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 41 out of 50
Low levels of congestion make up for the state’s less impressive rankings for fatalities and deficient bridges, enough to put Kansas in the top three. 

2nd Best Roads: North Dakota

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 45 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 31 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 24 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 50 out of 50 
The runner-up spot in the best roads ranking goes to North Dakota, whose second-lowest population density in the country (9.7 people per square mile, according to the 2010 census) means quite simply that the state’s roads are not the most well-traveled in the country. 

The Best Roads in the U.S.: New Mexico

Poor-Condition Mileage Rank (1=most): 47 out of 50
Deficient Bridges Rank (1=most): 43 out of 50
Fatalities Rank (1=most): 19 out of 50
Congestion Rank (1=most): 42 out of 50
The gold-medal winner in our ranking of the best roads in the U.S. goes to none other than New Mexico. The state could likely have won this competition on looks alone – the dramatic desert landscapes and cities like Taos and Albuquerque are definitely a national treasure. 


By Greg Emerson