The 5 States With the Best Roads (And the 5 That Are Just the Absolute Worst)

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The state of the roads is important to everyone who travels over them. Virtually everyone notices when the roads are bad. The journey becomes bumpy and shaky and may even damage your vehicle.

Some states are doing a better job with their road quality than others. According to USAFacts, these are the states that have the best roads and the ones that do the worst job on their roads.

Good Road Quality

car suv on the road rides away. Travel on vacation, enjoy the nature trail
Image Credit: Khomsan Inthananon/Shutterstock.

Some states put in the effort and resources to maintain good roads. They fix roads that have problems and rebuild terrible ones. These states have a very small percentage of poor-quality roads.

Tennessee

Memphis, Tennesse, USA downtown cityscape at dusk over Beale Street.
Image Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.

Tennessee has the best roads in the country. Only a very small fraction of the roads in the Volunteer State are poor- about 5.4%. The rest are in good condition and ready for a smooth ride.

Wyoming

Sunny view of the Wyoming State capitol building at Cheyenne, Wyoming
Image Credit: Kit Leong/Shutterstock.

This state is so large and so remote and has such a small population that perhaps the roads are in such good condition because no one ever drives on them. In this state, only 5.7% of the roads were rated as poor.

North Dakota

North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum on July 18, 2017 in Bismarck, North Dakota
Image Credit: Nagel Photography/Shutterstock.

Another state with a small population, North Dakota has great roads for the most part. Only about 5.8% of them are rated poorly. This makes the state perfect for going out for a drive.

Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA downtown city skyline in the afternoon.
Image Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.

The Sooner State also has a very low percentage of roads that are in poor condition. Just 6.3% of them are too lumpy for a good ride. This is a state that takes its roads seriously.

Nebraska

Lincoln skyline and Nebraska State Capitol. The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln.
Image Credit: Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock.

When you drive through Nebraska, you’re unlikely to find many terrible roads. That’s because just 7.1% of the roads in this state are bad. In this state, you’re likely to ride smoothly.

Poor Road Quality

A badly damaged road with sink holes due to heavy rain falls
Image Credit: Four Oaks
/Shutterstock.

Many states just don’t take good care of their roads. They may either have few funds for road work, an enormous amount of people driving on them, or a combination of both.

Rhode Island

Aerial panorama of Providence skyline and Rhode Island capitol building at dusk. Providence is the capital city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Founded in 1636 is one of the oldest cities in USA.
Image Credit: Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock.

The smallest state has the biggest percentage of poor roads. A whopping 48% of all the roads in the state are reported to be in poor condition. Every time you drive there, you have almost a 50/50 chance of driving on a terrible road.

New Jersey

Aerial panorama of Trenton New Jersey skyline amd state capitol at sunset. Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County.
Image Credit: Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock.

New Jersey certainly does have a lot of people traveling on its roads, and that may have contributed to the high percentage of bad ones. A full 45% of them are in bad shape.

Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii.
Image Credit: photopmh/Shutterstock.

If you’re driving in Hawaii, you may be spilling a few things in your vehicle. An eye-popping 40% of the roads are in poor condition. It may be paradise, but it’s certainly a bumpy one.

New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
Image Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.

More than a third of all the roads in New Mexico are torn up and in terrible shape. In the Land of Enchantment, 34% of the roads are of poor quality.

California

Late afternoon view of the historic downtown city center of Oakland, California, USA.
Image Credit: Matt Gush/Shutterstock.

With the enormous population of this state, it’s no wonder that its roads are so worn. The state has 33% of its roads rated as being in poor condition.

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Outdoors portrait of middle age man at the spring, summer or autumn day.
Image Credit: Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock.

 

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Cute young brunette girl in sunglasses walks along the Los Angeles waterfront with palm trees and streets on a summer day.
Image Credit: Ivanova Ksenia/Shutterstock.

 

There are rich people around the world, but there are some areas that have more wealthy residents than others. When looking at how many millionaires there are in each country, it isn’t even remotely even.

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Farming and cultivations in Latin America. Portrait of middle aged hispanic farmer sitting proud in his tractor at sunset, holding the steering wheel. He looks at the camera and smiles happy.
Image Credit: Diego Cervo/Shutterstock.

 

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Author: Lizz Shepherd

Bio:

Lizz Shepherd is a freelance writer living in Alabama.

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