Report: Connecticut Highways Rank Among Lowest in the Country

Now, it's not like I have to tell you that the roads here in Connecticut are bad, but maybe this latest report will open some eyes.

Connecticut is one of, if not the wealthiest state in the nation, but you would never know it by driving around on our roads. As someone in New Hampshire said to me recently, "Oh, you're from Connecticut, the road construction state."

If the roads themselves aren't bad enough, we drivers have to put up with endless road work. Not a day goes by when there's not a construction project going on somewhere on my way to or from work.

So, when I read this recent study put out by the Reason Foundation and saw that Connecticut raked 44th out of 50 for their Highway System, I wasn't surprised at all. Wait, I take that back. I was a little surprised. You mean there are actually six states where the roads are worse?

Now, here's where we really start to live up to our reputation. On spending, Connecticut ranks 47th in total disbursements per mile and 50th in administrative disbursements per mile.

If you're looking for the silver lining in this road cloud of doom, the percentage of deficient bridges across the country are decreasing. However, Connecticut, along with five other states, report that more than 1/3 of their bridges are still deficient or functionally obsolete. Wow, that was close. I thought for one second that we'd hear some good news about Connecticut Roads. But not today, not this month, and probably not this year -- we have a reputation to live up to. Don't forget, Connecticut is "The Road Construction State".

Here's the overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings in Reason Foundation's 22nd Annual Highway Report: