Connecticut's Roads & Bridges: 4th Worst in the Nation

Connecticut’s road infrastructure is the fourth worst in the nation, at a cost of $676 annually for Connecticut motorists, according to a new study, with 34% of the state’s roads and 10.2% of bridges in either “poor” or “nonacceptable” condition.

The worst roads, based on percentage of non-acceptable roads and square miles of poor bridge deck, are in Rhode Island, Mississippi, West Virginia, Connecticut and Maryland, according to a new study released by QuoteWizard, an online insurance marketplace, based on data from the Federal Highway Administration and Bureau of Transportation Statistics.  Massachusetts ranked #17, New Jersey #18, and New York #19.

The study found the nation’s deteriorating roads and bridges cost the average American driver $556 every year, resulting in nearly $120 billion in vehicle repair and operating costs.  The most expensive state is Oklahoma, at $900 per motorist; Tennessee is the least expensive at $194 per motorist.

Idaho, North Dakota and Wyoming were said to have the best roads and bridges. Across the country, over 20% of U.S. roads and 6.1% of bridges are in poor or “non-acceptable” condition.  Connecticut exceeds the national averages in both categories. 

The report also notes that infrastructure repair not only keeps cost per motorist down but also acts as an important tool in job creation. According to the Brookings Institution, 13,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on highway infrastructure.

In a report last fall, Connecticut was ranked at #25 in an analysis of the states with the safest drivers.  To develop those rankings, QuoteWizard built a composite score between four driving incident factors: Accidents, Speeding tickets, DUIs and Citations.