Top States with Deficient Roads and Worst Vehicle Congestion

America's Interstate Highway System: Not Looking So Good at 65

Last month, America's interstate highway system celebrated its 65th birthday, and while it does its job of getting truckers across the country with high-priority deliveries, industry experts say it's also in dire need of upgrade and investment.

Every driver has a state or two that they absolutely hate driving through, but a recent report from non-profit transportation research company TRIP details which states are having an especially rough time with cracked pavement, deficient bridges, and congested urban areas.

States with the Worst Traffic Congestion

Now that traffic levels have once again reached pre-pandemic numbers, drivers are once again experiencing traffic congestion nationwide. But research shows that the top 10 states with the most congested interstates are:

1. California: 87%
2. Maryland: 83%
3. New Jersey: 81%
4. Delaware: 71%
5. Florida: 70%
6. Massachusetts: 68%
7. Rhode Island: 65%
8. Connecticut: 63%
9. Hawaii: 60%
10. Washington: 58%

States with Crumbling Interstate Pavement

There's nothing like the gut-wrenching feeling when your truck hits a deep pothole head-on at high speeds, and despite all the construction cones that pop up during the year, America's full of crumbling roadways. The states where the interstate pavement is classified as being in "poor condition" are:

1. Hawaii: 23%
2. Delaware: 9%
3. New Jersey: 9%
4. Louisiana: 7%
5. New York: 6%
6. Colorado: 6%
7. Michigan: 6%
8. California: 6%
9. Maryland: 5%
10. Indiana: 5%

States with the Most Structurally Deficient Interstate Bridges

Of the 617,000 bridges in the U.S., it's estimated that about 42% of them are at least 50 years old. The national average of bridges that are considered "structurally deficient" is 3%, but the states experiencing the largest averages are:

1. West Virginia: 13%
2. Rhode Island: 12%
3. Illinois: 8%
4. Massachusetts: 7%
5. New York: 6%
6. Michigan: 6%
7. Colorado: 5%
8. Maine: 5%
9. Washington: 5%
10. Missouri: 5%

Greatest Increases in Vehicle Miles of Travel

If it seems like there are more cars on the road when you drive through certain states, you may be right. Since the year 2000, the vehicle miles of travel has increased across the country, but the highest increases per state are:

1. Nevada: 69%
2. Louisiana: 61%
3. North Carolina: 57%
4. Utah: 57%
5. Colorado: 53%
6. Texas: 49%
7. Mississippi: 45%
8. Idaho: 44%
9. Wisconsin: 42%
10. Florida: 41%

Other Facts about the U.S. Interstate System

• The interstate's backlog of physical and operational deficiencies is growing consistently because of heavy use, age, and delayed reinvestment
• From 2000 to 2019, travel on the interstate system has increased 26%
• Over the last 20 years, combination truck travel on the interstate system increased by 43% while overall vehicle travel increased by 19%
• According to a recent report from the Transportation Research Board, annual investment in the interstate system should be increased about 2.5 times – from $23 billion in 2018 to $57 billion annually over the next 20 years – in order to fully reconstruct and modernize the current deficiencies.

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