Posted on 11/26/2025 5:48:42 AM PST by Red Badger
You may be better off traveling throughout the 'ocean state' via boat. (Credit: Mark F Lotterhand on Shutterstock)
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In A Nutshell
* Rhode Island has the worst roads in America, with 37.2% of major roads in poor condition and nearly 14% of bridges deteriorating
* Washington state leads the nation in pothole complaints at 61.67 per capita, about 60% higher than Michigan’s rate
* High spending doesn’t guarantee results: Pennsylvania spends $820 per capita on maintenance but still has 17.3% of roads in poor condition
* Poor roads cost drivers hundreds of dollars annually through tire wear, suspension damage, reduced fuel efficiency, and increased accident risk
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Drivers across America are fed up with potholes, cracked pavement, and bone-jarring commutes. Now, research reveals exactly which states are failing to maintain their roads. Rhode Island leads the nation with more than a third of its major roads in poor condition, part of a broader infrastructure crisis that’s costing drivers hundreds of dollars annually in vehicle repairs and wasted fuel.
Research by Swiftdrain examined 10 key indicators of road quality across all 50 states, from pavement roughness and bridge health to maintenance spending and pothole complaints. Rhode Island earned the dubious distinction of worst roads in America, with 37.2 percent of major routes in poor condition and nearly 14 percent of bridges in poor condition. Louisiana, Illinois, California, and Massachusetts round out the top five states where drivers face the roughest rides.
Ankit Sehgal from Swiftdrain explained the problem: “In many parts of the country, roads today are simply wearing out faster than we can fix them. Traffic is heavier, weather is more unpredictable, and a lot of our highway networks were built decades ago with materials and designs that weren’t intended for today’s level of use.”
Heavy Traffic and Harsh Weather Take Their Toll
Several factors contribute to poor road conditions. States with heavy traffic volumes, measured by vehicle miles traveled per capita, see accelerated wear and tear on their highways. Weather plays a major role too. Freeze-thaw cycles in northern states like Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Illinois cause water to seep into pavement cracks, freeze, expand, and create potholes. By the time spring arrives, roads that seemed fine in autumn are riddled with damage.
Louisiana faces different challenges. With 3,411 miles of highway in poor condition and high pavement roughness levels, the state battles coastal flooding, heat-related wear, and storm damage. Even with substantial capital spending, Louisiana can’t keep pace with deterioration across both urban and rural routes.
Washington state reported an astonishing 61.67 pothole complaints per capita, the highest in the nation. That’s about 60 percent higher than Michigan, traditionally known for its troubled roads. Rainfall, freezing temperatures, and exploding traffic volumes in Seattle and Tacoma contribute to rapid surface erosion.
Complete State Rankings: Worst to Best Roads
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Note: Higher total scores indicate worse road conditions. The total score is a weighted composite of 10 different metrics including r
High Spending Doesn’t Guarantee Better Roads Some states spend heavily on highway maintenance yet still rank among the worst. Pennsylvania invests $820 per capita on highway maintenance and $27.57 per lane mile in capital outlays, but still has 17.3 percent of major roads in poor condition and over 7,500 miles of highway deteriorating. Massachusetts spends $488 per capita but faces a 27 percent poor-condition rate on major roads.
“What we typically see is that once small cracks start forming, moisture gets in, freezes, expands, and the road surface begins to break apart,” Sehgal said. “Over time, that turns into potholes, rough patches, and larger sections of pavement failure. When states fall behind on basic maintenance, the damage multiplies quickly, and the costs rise with it.”
Throwing money at roads doesn’t guarantee results when dealing with decades-old infrastructure backlogs. Rhode Island spends $620 per capita on highway maintenance but can’t overcome years of deferred repairs. California invests billions annually in transportation infrastructure but has 14,220 miles of poor-condition highways, second only to Texas.
Note: Higher total scores indicate worse road conditions. The total score is a weighted composite of 10 different metrics including r
High Spending Doesn’t Guarantee Better Roads Some states spend heavily on highway maintenance yet still rank among the worst. Pennsylvania invests $820 per capita on highway maintenance and $27.57 per lane mile in capital outlays, but still has 17.3 percent of major roads in poor condition and over 7,500 miles of highway deteriorating. Massachusetts spends $488 per capita but faces a 27 percent poor-condition rate on major roads.
“What we typically see is that once small cracks start forming, moisture gets in, freezes, expands, and the road surface begins to break apart,” Sehgal said. “Over time, that turns into potholes, rough patches, and larger sections of pavement failure. When states fall behind on basic maintenance, the damage multiplies quickly, and the costs rise with it.”
Throwing money at roads doesn’t guarantee results when dealing with decades-old infrastructure backlogs. Rhode Island spends $620 per capita on highway maintenance but can’t overcome years of deferred repairs. California invests billions annually in transportation infrastructure but has 14,220 miles of poor-condition highways, second only to Texas.
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Providence, RI is the worst I’ve seen in my travels. The city streets were so bad I wouldn’t ride my Harley.
Hmmm. The worst roads but the highest dollar spending on roads per mile. Where is the money going?
Blue state graft.....................
Creative graph...NYS at 13?? Maybe looking at cost...but roads bridges in cr** condition...we belong near the top for crappy road conditions.
13 is pretty high up...............
Last time I was in D.C. they weren’t so great either.
New York is usually in the top quintile in “worst anything” so I’m surprised we are just outside that mark at #13.
We still lead in taxes and wasteful spending, something to be proud of.
Yup. Quite a lot of phony spending in these blue states. What is it about dems and corruption? I’m starting to see a pattern here.
California has some of the highest spending per lane mile. Yet for the most part, California doesn't freeze either, especially in coastal areas where most of the population is.
Same with local governments. Roads should be a priority with local governments, but they feel that there are more votes to be won from direct social services payments to its citizens. Couple that with the fact that governments artificially pay something like twice the per mileage cost in order to subsidize union contractors (who are very generous campaign donors), and they find themselves perpetually behind in road upkeep.
Around me, the worst maintained roads are on the native American reservations, despite having (presumably) lucrative revenue streams from casinos. I wonder what is going on there?
interesting RI ping!
Glad to be in TN!!!
“What we typically see is that once small cracks start forming, moisture gets in, freezes, expands, and the road surface begins to break apart,” Sehgal said. “Over time, that turns into potholes, rough patches, and larger sections of pavement failure. When states fall behind on basic maintenance, the damage multiplies quickly, and the costs rise with it.”
This does not explain why Louisiana is second on the list.
Oh, wait...!
RI is only about 50 miles sq.
It physically cant have that many bad roads.
The capital outlay per lane mile is skewed because it allocates the cost of mega-projects to the entire road system.
Examples of this would be the Big Dig in Boston or the 520 Floating Bridge project across Lake Washington.
I was a county engineer at the time of the 520 project which was $1.4 Billion. That much money could have funded 90% of all the city and county road projects submitted to the State and Feds on their Six Year Transportation Plans (STP).
I’m truly surprised Florida isn’t better than 34th. The roads here are dang good. I haven’t seen many if any potholes.
Never say ‘can’t have’ to a Democrat...............
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