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BOSTON (WBZNewsRadio) - We all know the traffic in Massachusetts is bad, but a new study finds takes a deeper look at the quality of that infrastructure and finds we're driving on some of the worst roads in the country.
The research compiled by Construction Coverage, used data from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, and found 29.5 percent of roads in the Commonwealth are in poor condition and in dire need of repair.
What's more, 35.9 percent of Massachusetts major roadways are in fair condition and 34.6 percent of major roadways are in good condition. The study also found daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita to be 21.6 miles.
Not many people we spoke to found the data surprising.
"You constantly have to pay for your own pocket to fix your wheels or your rims, which is facts." One woman told WBZ's James Rojas.
Nationally, just 13.8 percent of roadways were found to be in poor condition. According to the study, those poor conditions are negatively impacting the economy, contributing to traffic congestion and impacting the safety of Americans.
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, highlighting the importance of reliable roads and a commitment moving forward to improve America's infrastructure. The bill allocated $110 billion to help repair and restore the quality of roads and bridges, as well as support a number of major "transformational roadway projects" across the country.
According to the data, these are the states with the worst roads in the U.S.:
- Rhode Island
- New Jersey
- California
- Massachusetts
- Hawaii
- New York
- Connecticut
- Wisconsin
- Maryland
- Washington
- New Mexico
- Michigan
- Louisiana
- Colorado
- Pennsylvania
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports
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