Among the states in the United States, Massachusetts has some of the worst traffic. According to a recent study, Massachusetts has recorded the third worst traffic on the nation’s highways.
When compared to the national average of about 27 hours, the average Bay State driver spends 40.4 peak hours stuck in urban-area traffic congestion each year.
According to a new analysis from the Los Angeles-based think tank Reason Foundation, only drivers in New York and New Jersey had it worse, spending 43.2 and 48 hours each year stuck in peak metropolitan traffic.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute completed the study included in this report, which includes data from 2020 to 2021. Although it considers traffic congestion in places across the country, it concludes that “the congestion problem is primarily concentrated in the major cities of just a few states.”
The tweet by Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance linked below also shared about this topic on their Twitter handle:
“Massachusetts has 3rd-worst highway traffic in US, report says” https://t.co/1IWGFMHoU2 #mapoli @ReasonFdn pic.twitter.com/F1nCP6EYUF
— Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance (@MassFiscal) April 23, 2023
According to research published in January by INRIX, a worldwide transportation data and analytics business, Boston’s traffic congestion is second-worst in the United States and fourth-worst in the world, trailing only London, Chicago, and Paris but surpassing New York City in terms of “highest traffic delay times.”
The Reason Foundation found that heavy traffic was a significant factor in lowering Massachusetts’ ranking compared to other states’ highway systems in terms of “overall cost-effectiveness and condition.”
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has improved its roadway system to the 20th from the 43rd position the previous year. However, the condition of its urban interstate pavement ranks 47th worst in the nation.
According to the research, Massachusetts has about 24% of this pavement in bad condition, more than double the rates in Maryland and New Jersey.
The report’s lead author, Baruch Feigenbaum, said in a statement,
“To improve in the rankings, Massachusetts needs to improve its urban arterial pavement and reduce its urbanized area congestion. The state’s capital and bridge and maintenance spending is among the lowest-15 of the states, which is a remarkable accomplishment, considering the state’s high-cost neighborhood. But the state may need to redirect resources to help it address urban pavement quality, traffic congestion, and bridge quality.”
Bridges in Massachusetts have a more significant structural deficiency rate than the rest of the country, ranking 37th in the US. Conservative watchdog group Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance also took issue with the report’s depiction of the state’s high highway repair and administrative costs.
Check out these excellent articles on the latest happenings in Massachusetts that you wouldn’t want to miss! Click the links to read more:
- Who Di*d in Route 24 Massachusetts Car Crash? State Police Started Their Investigation!
- How did the Massachusetts Truro House Explode Into Flames? Situation Insights Found!
- Cyber Siege: Massachusetts Second-Largest Health Insurer Becomes Victim of Cybersecurity Attack!
Based on 2020 projections, the report places Massachusetts at number 14 for maintenance expenditures and number 32 for administrative outlays.
MassFiscal said in a statement,
“This year, while Massachusetts’ overall highway system rankings have seen some improvements, the Commonwealth continues to rank as one of the most inefficient states in the country for how it spends taxpayer dollars on ‘maintenance’ and ‘administrative’ costs, these two categories are critical in determining how efficiently taxpayer money is spent, especially when elected leaders claim they need more revenue from the taxpayers.”
At $32,754 per lane mile, Massachusetts spends far more than the national average of $5,342. Compared to the rest of the country, it spends $8.2 more per mile on maintenance than the national average of $14.546.
We’d greatly appreciate it if you’d follow us on Twitter and provide us with feedback in the form of reviews and comments so that we can expand our expertise.
