Delaware’s highways came in 37th in an annual report, with rural routes getting high marks and the Interstate system in the northern part of the state ranking near the bottom.
The ranking came from the Reason Foundation, a Libertarian-leaning Foundation that examines the efficiency of government.
The 22nd Annual Highway Report ranked Delaware 27th in fatality rate, 22nd in deficient bridges, 45th in urban Interstate pavement condition, and 34th in urban congestion.
The state’s rankings were closely matched by its neighbors in the crowded Northeast Corridor. Neighboring New Jersey, which has one of the nation’s lowest gas taxes, is facing a funding crisis for its highway system and now ranks 49th.
On spending, Delaware ranks 38th in total disbursements per mile and 30th in administrative disbursements per mile.
Delaware’s best rankings are rural arterial pavement condition (4th), rural arterial lane-width (15th), and capital-bridge disbursements per mile (20th).
Delaware’s worst rankings are maintenance disbursements per mile (49th) and urban Interstate pavement condition (45th).
Delaware’s state-controlled highway mileage makes it the 41st largest system, despite the state being the second smallest in size
Top performing highways can be found in South Carolina, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Maine.
The rankings are as follows:
1 South Carolina
2 South Dakota
3 Kansas
4 Nebraska
5 Maine
6 Montana
7 North Dakota
8 Wyoming
9 Ohio
10 Mississippi
11 New Mexico
12 Missouri
13 Utah
14 Kentucky
15 North Carolina
16 Idaho
17 Oklahoma
18 Tennessee
19 Texas
20 Alabama
21 Georgia
22 Nevada
23 Oregon
24 Arizona
25 West Virginia
26 New Hampshire
27 Minnesota
28 Wisconsin
29 Illinois
30 Virginia
31 Michigan
32 Florida
33 Arkansas
34 Louisiana
35 Colorado
36 Indiana
37 Delaware
38 Maryland
39 Pennsylvania
40 Iowa
41 Vermont
42 California
43 Washington
44 Connecticut
45 New York
46 Massachusetts
47 Rhode Island
48 Hawaii
49 New Jersey
50 Alaska
Additional information about each state’s performance is available at:
http://reason.org/studies/show/22nd-annual-highway-report-states
