We also calculated states and metropolitan areas where drivers pay the most for repairs because of poor urban highway conditions. Rhode Island drivers pay the most, followed by California, Colorado, Maryland and Illinois. They are followed by motorists in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, and St. Louis. States should fix existing roads before embarking on costly new road projects. Roads should be built and repaired to last, using materials and techniques to dramatically increase their longevity.
Technology now exists to build roads that last fifty years.
Such techniques save money over the long haul, and save motorists from the frustrating delays and disruption of constant road repair work. Perhaps most importantly, states and metropolitan areas should develop innovative transportation programs that don't just rely on adding road capacity to solve their transportation needs. Drivers should not have to endure bumpy highways, constant construction, and repair bills that drain their pocketbooks.