Where Does Illinois Rank Among the States With the Worst Roads?

If you've ever driven around Illinois and wondered why the roads seem to be full of potholes, rough pavement and never-ending construction, you're definitely not alone.

A new highway report gave us another reason to look at how Illinois roads compare with the rest of the country, and the state's ranking isn't exactly something to brag about.

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According to the Reason Foundation's 29th Annual Highway Report, released earlier this year, Illinois ranks 37th out of 50 states overall for highway performance, condition and cost-effectiveness.  That's one spot drop from the previous ranking!

Bu what makes Illinois' ranking interesting is how much its performance varies depending on what kind of road is being evaluated.

The state ranks 46th in rural arterial pavement condition, putting it among the worst states in that category.  Illinois also ranks 34th for urban Interstate pavement condition and 33rd for urban arterial pavement condition. So, while not every category puts Illinois at the bottom, there is clearly room for improvement.

And then there's traffic!  Illinois ranks 44th out of 50 states for urbanized-area congestion, with drivers spending like 46 hours a year stuck in traffic.  That's nearly two full days spent sitting in your car!

The 10 states with the worst roads

This same report evaluated the overall performance and cost-effectiveness of state-controlled highway systems, rather than ranking states solely by pothole or pavement quality.  Its five lowest-ranked states over?

1. Alaska
2. California
3. Washington
4. New York
5. Louisiana

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Illinois actually ranked 37th overall, so not terrible!  Check out where Wisconsin landed on the worst roads list here.