57,544 Miles of Bad Road: See Where Illinois’ Roads Rank Against the Rest of the Country

For all the road construction slowing down traffic every summer, how does Illinois manage to still have nearly 60,000 miles of public roads in poor condition?

We can’t tell you. But the website 24/7 Wall Street says that’s the case.

Illinois has the 25th worst roads in the country with 18.8 percent of its 306,806-mile road system in poor condition.

Illinois’ road system in the third largest in the country, 24/7 Wall Street said.

24/7 Wall Street used Federal Highway Administration data to rank the states on their roadways. Idaho came in first with only five percent of its roads in need in repair. Bringing up the rear was Rhode Island, where 52 percent of the major roads are in poor condition.

“Driving on rough, damaged roads can be unpleasant, dangerous, and often leads to additional vehicle operating and repair costs, including flat tires and general tire wear, deterioration of a vehicle’s shock absorption, extra fuel costs, and so on,” according to 24/7 Wall Street. “These additional costs are highest in New Jersey, where on average each motorist spends an extra $601 annually on vehicle operating and repair costs. Nationwide, roads in disrepair cost motorists an extra $66.6 billion, or $324 per motorist each year.”

Illinois motorist shelled out an average of $292 a year in added vehicle costs due to the poor condition of its roads.

In addition to all of those bad roads, 24/7 Wall Street found 15.7 percent of the bridges in Illinois to be deficient.

photo via Patch archive