New Hampshire Roads: Could Be Worse; Could Be Better: Study

The 2019 Annual Highway Report by the Reason Foundation presents troubling findings for the condition of America’s highway system: states can barely keep up with necessary repairs on bridges and freeway pavement, while urban congestion is worsening. New Hampshire ranked near the middle among the 50 states in the overall condition of its main roads.

The foundation's report was based on data states submitted to the federal government, and ranks each state’s highway system in 14 categories, including congestion, total spending per mile and the fatality rate on urban arteries.

New Hampshire ranked 24th overall; in category rankings, the Granite State was 24th in total disbursements per mile, 36th in the condition of rural arteries and 38th in the condition of its bridges. On the plus side, however, the state ranked first in the condition of rural interstates and its overall fatality rate was 15th in the country.

"Compared to nearby states, the report finds New Hampshire’s overall highway performance is better than Connecticut (ranks 44th), Massachusetts (46th) and New York (45th),” said Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the Annual Highway Report and assistant director of transportation at Reason Foundation. “New Hampshire is doing worse than comparable states such as Maine (ranks 4th) and Vermont (19th).”

North Dakota took home the top overall spot on the list for the second year in a row, whereas New Jersey ranked the 50th overall highway system in the United State. Virginia had the biggest improvement overall from last year, as it jumped 25 spots from its previous 27th ranking, all the way into second place.

Here are the top ten overall states in highway performance and cost-effectiveness:

1. North Dakota
2. Virginia
3. Missouri
4. Maine
5. Kentucky
6. Kansas
7. Tennessee
8. Montana
9. Utah
10. Alabama

With every ranking that includes a top ten, there’s also a bottom 10 — here are the ten worst highway systems by state:

40. Florida
41. Oklahoma
42. Delaware
43. California
44. Connecticut
45. New York
46. Massachusetts
47. Hawaii
48. Rhode Island
49. Alaska
50. New Jersey