MN Home To Nation's Best Roads: Consumer Affairs

ST. PAUL, MN — A new Consumer Affairs analysis ranked Minnesota’s roads the best in the nation.

The report is based on recent data from the U.S. Department of Transportation on road safety and quality, miles traveled, and spending on road improvements.

Minnesota's best-in-the-nation status was due to the following factors:

• Fatalities per 100 million miles driven: 0.76
• Rural roughness score (% poor): 3 percent
• Urban roughness score (% poor): 5 percent
• Yearly spend on improvements: $4,284,374,000
• Total spend on road expenditures: $5,437,408,000

Rhode Island has the worst roads, followed by Hawaii and California, according to the study. After Minnesota, Alabama and Indiana have the best roads.

The worst roads tended to be in coastal regions, the analysis found.

In a news release Friday, Gov. Tim Walz noted that the ranking comes as Minnesota was recently named the top state for health care, a top-five state for business, and a top-five state to live and work.

"This achievement didn’t happen by accident – it reflects our yearslong commitment to improving the safety and quality of our roads," Walz said. "In Minnesota, we take pride in maintaining the infrastructure that builds strong communities, creates jobs, and drives economic growth."

Read the entire study here.