What States Actually Have Worse Roads Than Louisiana?

Motorists in Louisiana are well acquainted with our state's infrastructure woes. We have a lot of bridges that need to be repaired or replaced. We have a lot of highways that need to be repaired or replaced. And, because we drive across those bridges and on those roads, many of us drive cars that need to be repaired or replaced.

A published report from back in 2021 suggests that Louisiana's less-than-ideal infrastructure costs motorists about $7 billion dollars annually in expenses and repairs. That breaks down to about $2,300 per driver. And when you look at some of the cars that creep along Louisiana's roadways some of those aren't worth the cost it would take to repair them.

With statistics such as that it would be fairly easy to assume that no other state in the country could have worse roads than Louisiana. If you make that assumption, you're wrong, just barely, but you're still technically not correct.

Based on a study published by Consumer Affairs Louisiana doesn't have the nation's worst roads. Our state clocks in at number three in their study. The study looked at the roughness of pavement, highway maintenance, and safety budgets dedicated to improving driving conditions.

What is the State With The Worst Roads in the Nation?

I guess the good news in that question is this, you can't drive there from here. That's because the state that has the nation's worst roads is Hawaii. An independent study found that almost 70% of Hawaii's major roadways are in "poor or mediocre" condition.

It's no wonder so many people who visit Hawaii rent Jeeps and other four-wheel drive vehicles to tour the island. I guess you never know when the pavement won't be there or if it's there if it will even support the vehicle.

The state with the second worst roads in the nation is also the nation's smallest state. While visiting Rhode Island I was informed by a local that the unofficial state motto is "Rhode Island, Where Charm Meets Neglect". I have to admit, they've got their share of troubles on their trails too.

The Consumer Affairs study suggested that 40% of Rhode Island's roadways ranked poorly for roughness and an astounding 75% of the state's roads qualified for "poor or mediocre" rankings as well. Fortunately, Rhode Island is really small, so I guess you could walk if it really came down to it.

As we mentioned, up next on the list would be Louisiana. You're probably well acquainted with the condition of Louisiana's roads which is why your car is always out of alignment, you never get the full mileage from your tires, and you probably have at least one headlight that's pointing in the wrong direction. But at least we're not Hawaii, right?