MA Last In Road Work Spending By US Department Of Transportation

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers take a lot of heat for the condition of roads and traffic in Massachusetts, but there may be another target for angry drivers' scorn. Massachusetts received just $1 for every mile of roadway in U.S. Department of Transportation contracts in 2018, lower than any other state covered in a study by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Compare that to the District of Columbia, tops on the list, which received nearly $30,000 for every mile from the DOT in 2018.

Of the 10 states on the bottom of the list, Massachusetts was one of only two states without a high number of rural roads, which the study concluded contributed to low federal spending.

"States at this end of the spectrum aren't neglecting their roadways entirely (South Carolina is currently planning a $1.5 billion project, for example), but rural roads may have more difficulty attracting federal funds than urban thoroughfares," said a statement accompanying the study's release. "Indeed, experts say that many rural areas of the country are in dire need of infrastructure investment. Yet, sparsely populated communities often lack the resources necessary to navigate the federal bureaucracy, meaning their advocacy efforts frequently fall short."

The study cautioned against accusing federal lawmakers of making their own commutes easier in Washington and Virginia (third on the list of states that received the most funding per mile), noting "experts say bridges in the D.C. metro area are in particularly poor condition."

On average, U.S. DOT spent $400 per mile on the nation's 4.3 million miles of roadways in 2018.

State With The Most Funding Per Mile In 2018

1. District of Columbia, $29,637
2. Hawaii, $25.285
3. Virginia, $4,742
4. Alaska, $3,473
5. Wyoming, $1,485
6. Colorado, $1,367
7. Tennessee, $1,066
8. California, $1,057
9. Utah, $1,053
10. Oregon, $942

State With The Least Funding Per Mile In 2018

1. Massachusetts, $1
2. Indiana, $2
3. South Carolina, $8
4. Michigan, $9
5. Kentucky, $10
6. Oklahoma, $13
7. New Jersey, $14
8. Kansas, $15
9. Alabama, $16
10. Minnesota, $26

The study did not include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Rhode Island or Wisconsin, as no road construction spending was indicated.