Idaho has some of the best roads in the country!
Spend any time in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in the summer, and you as sure join the ranks of locals, like me, who curse the dreaded "Road Maintenance" signs. It seems every road is being worked on, especially at the peak of summer when everybody comes to enjoy the great outdoors of North Idaho and the festivities of Downtown Coeur d'Alene.
But, the alternative to "Road Maintenance" is a big ol' Washington or California state pot hole!
A recent study conducted by Transportation for America showed the states with the worst and best roads.
In a nutshell, the report shows...wait for it... how "Pavement Preservation" is not the priority when states get federal funding for roads! Surprise, surprise!
The report says, "Congress provides states with billions in formula funding that they are free to use for maintenance. Yet, despite the backlog, states continue to spend a significant portion of funding to build new roads, creating costly new maintenance liabilities in the form of new roads and lane-miles."
As an indicator of how states are managing, or mismanaging those those funds, the report reveals the states with the worst roads.
According to the study, 53 percent of roads in Rhode Island are deemed to be in poor condition, followed by 45 percent in California and 42 percent in Hawaii.
At the other end of the spectrum...states with the fewest "bad roads" were Tennessee, Georgia, and Idaho.
We never miss a chance to shoot a line about Idaho, but this one deserves a special note.
Maintaining roads in a four season state where the freeze and thaw of winters can ruin roads, and where the time to repair those roads is compressed in to a few short seasons takes a bit more effort than in states where winter is not an issue.
And that "little thing" about using funds where they are supposed to go...way to go Idaho!
Yep, "Road Maintenance" signs...another reason people "Live Better in North Idaho"
Written by Kory Martinelli Owner/Realtor of The Martinelli Realty Team