Latest news with #BaruchFeigenbaum
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ohio among top 10 states with best highway systems in country, report says
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio's highway system is among the top 10 best in the country, a recent report found. The Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, ranks all 50 state highway systems annually. Rankings are based on a slew of metrics relating to highway systems' conditions and cost effectiveness, including pavement conditions, traffic fatalities and administrative costs. The data included in this year's report is sourced from 2022, and collected from entities such as state highway agencies, the National Bridge Inventory and American Community Survey. 'States with high rankings typically have better-than-average system conditions (good for road users) along with relatively low per-mile expenditures (also good for taxpayers),' the report reads. List: 2025 Lenten fish fries for Columbus and central Ohio In the Reason Foundation's 28th annual report released this month, Ohio's highway system ranked as the 10th best in the United States. The Buckeye State jumped seven spots from its ranking of No. 17 in the organization's previous report. When it comes to what specific categories Ohio did well in, the Buckeye State ranked among the top 10 for the condition of pavement on major rural roads, the fatality rate on rural roads, and the costs associated with building or expanding bridges. However, Ohio did rank lower in some categories, including the fatality rate on minor arterial and local roads (No. 31). 'In terms of improving in the road condition and performance categories, Ohio should focus on improving its urban pavement condition – both arterial and Interstate. The state ranks in the bottom 20 in both categories,' said Baruch Feigenbaum, the lead author of the report. Ohio ranked better than its neighboring states, including Kentucky (No. 11), Indiana (No. 20), Michigan (No. 23), West Virginia (No. 33) and Pennsylvania (No. 37). How dismantling the Department of Education will affect Ohio schools North Carolina was the state with the best highway system in the country according to the report, followed by South Carolina, North Dakota, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Minnesota, Utah and Missouri. The lowest-ranked highway systems were those in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Washington, Louisiana, New York, Vermont, Colorado, Rhode Island and Delaware. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Washington highways among the worst in the nation, per report
This story was originally published on Washington state's highway system is among the worst in the United States, according to the Reason Foundation's 28th Annual Highway Report. The state ranked 47th overall in highway performance and cost-effectiveness, a slight drop from its 46th-place ranking in the previous year's evaluation. The annual report, which assesses the condition, safety, and cost-effectiveness of state-controlled highways in all 50 states, uses data primarily reported by each state to the Federal Highway Administration for 2022. It examines 13 categories, including pavement and bridge conditions, traffic fatalities, and spending. 'In terms of improving in the road condition and performance categories, Washington should focus on reducing capital-bridge disbursements, maintenance disbursements, and other disbursements. The state ranks 50th in all three categories,' said Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the 28th Annual Highway Report and senior managing director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation. 'The state performs better in the safety-focused categories but could still do to lower its other fatality rate, in which it ranks in the bottom 20.' The only states that performed worse than Washington were Hawaii, California, and Alaska. Related from MyNorthwest: WA drivers flooded with fake toll texts – here's how to protect yourself from the scam Why did Washington rank so poorly on highways? Washington's rankings varied across different categories. A significant area of concern is traffic congestion. Washington ranked 31st in the nation, with drivers spending an average of 28 hours per year stuck in traffic from Seattle to Spokane and Vancouver to Bellingham. The state performed relatively better in safety and condition categories, ranking 27th in urban Interstate pavement condition and 31st in structurally deficient bridges. However, it struggled in other areas, ranking 44th in rural Interstate pavement condition, 43rd in urban arterial pavement condition, and 25th in rural arterial pavement condition. Related from MyNorthwest: Washington faces transportation funding crisis but road usage charge still iffy proposition Money not-so-well-spent The report highlighted significant deficiencies in spending and cost-effectiveness, too. Washington ranked 50th in capital and bridge disbursements, which cover the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones. It also ranked 50th in maintenance spending, including expenses for repaving roads and filling potholes. Additionally, the state ranked 47th in administrative disbursements, which include office spending not directly allocated to road projects. 'In spending and cost-effectiveness, Washington ranks 50th in capital and bridge disbursements, which are the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones,' the report states. 'Washington ranks 50th in maintenance spending, such as the costs of repaving roads and filling in potholes. Washington's administrative disbursements, including office spending that doesn't make its way to roads, ranks 47th nationwide.' The state saw some improvement in rural arterial pavement condition, rising from 30th to 25th. Urbanized area congestion also improved, moving from 35th to 31st. However, the urban fatality rate worsened significantly, dropping from 6th to 27th. Related from MyNorthwest: WSDOT could prevent snow-related crashes at the Snoqualmie Pass, says Cliff Mass How does Washington compare to other states? Compared to neighboring states, Washington's highway performance lags behind Idaho (15th), Montana (16th), and Oregon (35th). When compared to states with similar populations, Washington also ranked lower than Virginia (4th) and Arizona (29th). North Carolina fared the best in the report and Idaho saw the most improvement, jumping 19 positions from 34th to 15th in the overall rankings.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Illinois roads rank lowest among neighbors despite nation's 2nd highest infrastructure tax
ILLINOIS (WTVO) — The quality of Illinois roads ranked 36th out of 50 states in a new study, despite residents paying the second highest road infrastructure tax in the country. The Reason Foundation released its , which grades state roadway conditions on several factors, including pavement conditions, urban congestion, structurally deficient bridges, fatality rates, and cost. Illinois roads ranked worse than neighboring states Wisconsin (26th), Indiana (20th), Iowa (31st), Missouri (9th), and Kentucky (11th). The state dropped seven spots since last year. According to the report, 'In safety and condition categories, Illinois' highways rank 37th in urban Interstate pavement condition, 29th in rural Interstate pavement condition, 34th in urban arterial pavement condition, 42nd in rural arterial pavement condition, 38th in structurally deficient bridges, 21st in urban fatality rate, and 16th in rural fatality rate.' Illinois ranks 46th out of the 50 states in traffic congestion, and its drivers spend 65 hours a year stuck in traffic congestion, the report said. Additionally, the report said Illinois ranked 24th in maintenance spending on repaving roads and filling in potholes. 'Illinois' administrative disbursements, including office spending that doesn't make its way to roads, ranks 30th nationwide,' it continued. 'In terms of improving in the road condition and performance categories, Illinois should focus on reducing capital-bridge disbursements, rural arterial pavement condition, and urbanized congestion. These are the only categories in which the state ranks in the bottom 10,' said Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the report. Illinois residents currently pay the second-highest gas tax in the country besides California, at 66 cents per gallon. That money is spent on road infrastructure projects. Electric vehicle (EV) owners, who are exempt from the gasoline fuel tax are charged a flat $100 a year, on top of their annual vehicle registration fee, to make up for lost tax revenue. A new proposal in Springfield would change how Illinois funds its roads, by instead of a gas tax. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Washington highways among the worst in the nation, per report
This story was originally published on Washington state's highway system is among the worst in the United States, according to the Reason Foundation's 28th Annual Highway Report. The state ranked 47th overall in highway performance and cost-effectiveness, a slight drop from its 46th-place ranking in the previous year's evaluation. The annual report, which assesses the condition, safety, and cost-effectiveness of state-controlled highways in all 50 states, uses data primarily reported by each state to the Federal Highway Administration for 2022. It examines 13 categories, including pavement and bridge conditions, traffic fatalities, and spending. 'In terms of improving in the road condition and performance categories, Washington should focus on reducing capital-bridge disbursements, maintenance disbursements, and other disbursements. The state ranks 50th in all three categories,' said Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the 28th Annual Highway Report and senior managing director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation. 'The state performs better in the safety-focused categories but could still do to lower its other fatality rate, in which it ranks in the bottom 20.' The only states that performed worse than Washington were Hawaii, California, and Alaska. Related from MyNorthwest: WA drivers flooded with fake toll texts – here's how to protect yourself from the scam Why did Washington rank so poorly on highways? Washington's rankings varied across different categories. A significant area of concern is traffic congestion. Washington ranked 31st in the nation, with drivers spending an average of 28 hours per year stuck in traffic from Seattle to Spokane and Vancouver to Bellingham. The state performed relatively better in safety and condition categories, ranking 27th in urban Interstate pavement condition and 31st in structurally deficient bridges. However, it struggled in other areas, ranking 44th in rural Interstate pavement condition, 43rd in urban arterial pavement condition, and 25th in rural arterial pavement condition. Related from MyNorthwest: Washington faces transportation funding crisis but road usage charge still iffy proposition Money not-so-well-spent The report highlighted significant deficiencies in spending and cost-effectiveness, too. Washington ranked 50th in capital and bridge disbursements, which cover the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones. It also ranked 50th in maintenance spending, including expenses for repaving roads and filling potholes. Additionally, the state ranked 47th in administrative disbursements, which include office spending not directly allocated to road projects. 'In spending and cost-effectiveness, Washington ranks 50th in capital and bridge disbursements, which are the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones,' the report states. 'Washington ranks 50th in maintenance spending, such as the costs of repaving roads and filling in potholes. Washington's administrative disbursements, including office spending that doesn't make its way to roads, ranks 47th nationwide.' The state saw some improvement in rural arterial pavement condition, rising from 30th to 25th. Urbanized area congestion also improved, moving from 35th to 31st. However, the urban fatality rate worsened significantly, dropping from 6th to 27th. Related from MyNorthwest: WSDOT could prevent snow-related crashes at the Snoqualmie Pass, says Cliff Mass How does Washington compare to other states? Compared to neighboring states, Washington's highway performance lags behind Idaho (15th), Montana (16th), and Oregon (35th). When compared to states with similar populations, Washington also ranked lower than Virginia (4th) and Arizona (29th). North Carolina fared the best in the report and Idaho saw the most improvement, jumping 19 positions from 34th to 15th in the overall rankings.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
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.
