About seven out of every 100 miles of roadway nationwide are in poor condition; 9% of bridges nationwide are structurally deficient, meaning that they are in need of some repair; and 17% of dams in the country have a high hazard potential — meaning a functional failure would result in the loss of life.
24/7 Wall Street created an index using the share of bridges, roads and dams that are in a state of disrepair or potentially hazardous, to identify the states with the best and worst infrastructure. States with a higher ranking are the worst on infrastructure.
The top five worst states are:
- Rhode Island
- Hawaii
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- California
Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada and Kansas came in at numbers 45 through 50 with the least worst infrastructure.
The condition of a given state’s infrastructure is contingent on a number of factors, including weather. When asphalt freezes and thaws, it can crack and begin to crumble, losing its integrity. As a result, road maintenance is required more regularly in states that face harsh winters. Seven of the 10 states with the largest share of roadway in poor condition are in the Northeast, Midwest, and other regions that experience freezing temperatures.
(more on the entire 50 state ranking of worst infrastructure...)
