by T.A. DeFeo
Georgia’s highway system is the fourth best nationwide, based on its condition and its cost-effectiveness, according to a new analysis.
The Reason Foundation’s 27th Annual Highway Report revealed the state’s ranking jumped 10 spots from its 14th place in the last report. It’s also up from 26th place in 2018.
The non-profit, libertarian think tank’s annual report, released Thursday, ranks states’ roads and bridges on various metrics, including safety, pavement quality and cost-effectiveness. According to the report, Georgia has the 11th largest highway system of any state.
The Peach State’s best rankings are in “urban arterial pavement condition” (third) and “urban interstate pavement condition” (fifth). However, the state’s worst rankings were for its urbanized area congestion (40th) and its urban fatality rate (37th).
On the safety and performance front, Georgia also ranked 35th for its rural fatality rate. As The Center Square previously reported, Georgia’s highways are increasingly dangerous for motorists and pedestrians, data indicates.
“To improve in the report’s overall rankings, Georgia could reduce its urban fatality rate and urban traffic congestion,” Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the Annual Highway Report and senior managing director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation, said on the site. “Georgia ranks in the bottom 15 nationally for each ranking.”
Roads in the Southeast generally ranked among the best nationally. The Peach State ranked ahead of South Carolina (sixth), Florida (eighth) and Alabama (15th) but behind North Carolina (second) and Tennessee (third).
Because of methodological changes, the analysis could not compare some categories to previous years.
– – –
T.A. DeFeo is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Atlanta, Georgia” by Marianna Smiley.
