How do Texas' road, bridge conditions compare to other states?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' highway system ranked 25th in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions — falling six ranking spots from the previous year, according to the 2025 Annual Highway Report released Thursday by public policy think tank Reason Foundation.
The report evaluated pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across all 50 states, using data each state reported to the Federal Highway Administration for 2022. Narrowing in on Texas, the Lone Star State earned the following rankings:
34th in urban interstate pavement conditions
22nd in rural interstate pavement conditions
38th in urban arterial pavement conditions
11th in rural arterial pavement conditions
2nd in structurally deficient bridges
34th in urban fatality rate
37th in rural fatality rate
40th in traffic congestion
The report found that Texans spend approximately 46 hours each year stuck in traffic congestion. When looking toward its neighboring states, Texas' overall performance ranking was better than Arkansas (No. 28), New Mexico (No. 38), Oklahoma (No. 39) and Louisiana (No. 46).
'To improve in the rankings, Texas should focus on improving urban Interstate and arterial pavement quality and reducing traffic congestion in its biggest cities,' said Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the 28th Annual Highway Report and senior managing director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation, in the release. 'Lowering fatality rates should also be a priority for the state.'
The full report is available online.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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