New Highway Study: Yes, Illinois Roads Really Are That Bad

"Illinois roads are bad" ranks right up there with other great observations like "water is wet" and "it's cold during the winter." In other words, duh, of course they are. Having lived in Illinois for most of my life, I can't remember ever, and I do mean ever, hearing anything but complaints about the conditions of Illinois' roads and highways.

The Best You Can Say About Illinois' Roads Is That Some Years They Suck Less Than Other Years

Which is weird in a state where we claim to have two seasons: winter and road construction. You'd think that our roads would be so much better, considering the amount of time and money spent on yearly construction projects--but they're not.

The ReasonFoundation, in their 28th Annual Highway Report, takes a look at (and gives grades to) things like state roadway conditions on several factors, including pavement conditions, urban congestion, structurally deficient bridges, fatality rates, and cost.

Spoiler alert: The Land of Lincoln did not get a great report card.

Things Seem To Be Getting Worse, Not Better When It Comes To Illinois' Roads, And Our Ranking On The List Of All 50 States Has Dropped 7 Spots From Last Year's Report

Illinois' ranking, according to the latest annual highway report, is 36th out of 50. Not only have our state's roads continued their deterioration, we're now ranked below all of our neighboring Midwestern states:

• Missouri: 9th
• Kentucky: 11th
• Indiana: 20th
• Wisconsin: 26th
• Iowa: 31st

We'll Run Down Some Of Illinois' Numbers, But First Let's Look At The Top 5 Ranked States For Road And Highway Conditions

According to the Reason Foundation's 28th Annual Highway Report, the 5 states in the country that are doing it best when it comes to roads are:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• North Dakota
• Virginia
• Tennessee

The lowest ranked 5 states are:

• Louisiana (46th)
• Washington (47th)
• Hawaii (48th)
• California (49th)
• Alaska (50th)

Here Are Illinois' Numbers In Several Categories That Make Up The Overall Ranking

• Urban Interstate Pavement Condition: 37th
• Rural Interstate Pavement Condition: 29th
• Urban Arterial Pavement Condition: 34th
• Rural Arterial Pavement Condition: 42nd
• Structurally Deficient Bridges: 38th
• Urban Fatality Rate: 21st
• Rural Fatality Rate: 16th
• Traffic Congestion: 46th
• Maintenance Spending (repaving roads, filling potholes): 24th
• Gas Tax: 2nd