Illinois Drivers Pay Over $1,100 A Year Due To Bad Bridges and Roads

If you want to say that driving is expensive, you generally don't have to back up that statement with more than a nod toward the skyrocketing gas prices we've been dealing with for nearly a year (with no end in sight).

The normal maintenance a car or truck requires, along with the insurance, is pricey enough, but when you tack on the costs of driving on our state's roads and bridges, it really goes up.

A New Analysis Of State Road Infrastructure Doesn't Make Illinois Look Good

According to a study on "states with the worst road infrastructure" published by QuoteWizard.com, Illinois ranked 14th worst in the nation. Illinois has 20% of its roads ranked non-acceptable and 12% of bridges in poor condition by Federal Highway Administration standards.

To make things worse, Illinois came in third from last when the study focused on what portion of transportation dollars Illinois spends on fixing existing roads.

Illinois Residents Are Not Only Dealing With High Property Taxes, We're Also Paying A "Bad Road Tax"

That money comes out of your pocket in the form of tire re-alignment or replacement along with overall car damage from navigating Illinois' roadways.

Nick VinZant, a senior analyst with the QuoteWizard insurance comparison platform, tells IllinoisPolicy.org that Illinois residents are paying a lot for bad roads:

We looked at the number of non-acceptable roads, bridges that are in poor condition, time lost to commute, efficiency, all those kinds of things, and we were able to essentially put a dollar figure on how much bad roads are costing drivers. Those factors cost Illinois drivers $586 a year. Add to that the U.S. average of $533 more as a result of vehicle damage from bad roads, and the grand total is $1,119.

For perspective, Wyoming (with the best road infrastructure) invests 54% of its transportation dollars into roadway repairs, saving residents $230 annually over Illinoisans.