Only Two States Have Roads More Mediocre Than Louisiana’s Roads

Do you think when Louisiana music pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis performed  Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On, he was inspired by a drive on a Louisiana highway? According to the results of a Consumer Affairs study "the Killer" wouldn't have been wrong if he did. That's because Louisiana's roads are among the worst in the nation.

Now, that nugget of knowledge comes as no surprise to those of us who regularly transverse these thoroughfares during our day-to-day routines. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently graded the state's roadways a D-, that's about as low as you can go and still pass. The reasons for the bad marks were because of road conditions and rough pavement.

The study released by Consumer Affairs not only concurs with that assessment by the American Society of Civil Engineers but they take it a step further. Consumer Affairs says the state is also at the top of the bottom when it comes to not spending money to repair and revitalize roadways.

A group called TRIP analyzed government data that suggested 46% of Louisiana's major roadways are in mediocre condition. That's about 61,300 miles of mediocre for those of us who have to drive on these roads. The TRIP assessment found the state's bad roads result in a cost of $658 dollars per year for drivers who have to spend money on car repairs, tires, alignments, and other maintenance.

So, what could the two states be that have worse roads than Louisiana? I would have never suspected but apparently, the roads in Hawaii are the worst in the nation according to Consumer Affairs. The state with the second worst roads is Rhode Island. If you're looking for a state with good roadways you don't have to travel too far from Rhode Island to get there. The state with the best roads was New Hampshire.