California has some of the most rundown highways in America — with pavement conditions on the busiest stretches found to be the worst in the nation, according to a new ranking.
While California stays off the bottom of the rankings in most categories, the Golden State ranks 50th in “Urban Arterial Pavement conditions,” or the condition of busy urban roads, and 49th overall.
Highway systems in the United States were ranked by the Reason Foundation for overall “cost-effectiveness and condition.” Only Alaska ranked worse than California, despite the heavy price residents pay towards the state in gas taxes and other fees.
California found a bright spot in the condition of its bridges, with its highest ranking of 25th in the nation in “structurally deficient bridges.”
But the state ranked in the bottom-half or third in every other category including urban congestion, rural fatality rate, rural pavement conditions, and capital and bridge disbursements ratio.
The author of the report, Baruch Feigenbaum, wrote an op-ed in the Orange County Register slamming California for its sub-par road conditions.
“With gas prices rising, Californians are being reminded of the billions of dollars a year they pay in fuel taxes and vehicle fees to maintain the state’s roads and highways,” he wrote. “Yet, despite those high fuel taxes, California’s drivers continue to face some of the worst road conditions in the country.”
Californians pay for the most expensive gas in the country, mostly due to gas taxes. Feigenbaum says California “should have a better road and highway system” given the billions in funds the state generates for transportation.
California lagged behind large states like Florida, Texas, and New York which ranked 14th, 27th and 47th overall respectively.
Feigenbaum believes California should maintain its roads and highways despite being one of the largest and the most populous state.
“But those realities make it even more important to use transportation funding efficiently. Repairing potholes, resurfacing rough pavement and bringing bridges up to modern standards would deliver significant improvements for drivers and the economy, improving safety and the state’s overall ranking in the Annual Highway Report,” he wrote.
California also ranked 49th in last year’s highway report.
