Study: ‘Deficient Bridges’ Damper New Hampshire’s Highway Safety Ranking

While the state's rural highways are among the best in the country, our bridges really need some work.

According to the the Reason Foundation, the Granite State falls near the middle of the United States as it relates to highway performance and cost effectiveness. New Hampshire placed 24th on the list, which is much better than Massachusetts (a lowly 46th), but not nearly as stout as Maine, which slid into the top 5 at #4.

Among the highlights were the fact we're #1 in rural roads. According to the study, New Hampshire's 'Rural Arterial Pavement Condition' placed higher than anyone else. That's the good news. What really dragged us down were the bridges, and work which needs to be done on them. New Hampshire placed a whopping 38th on the list for 'Structurally Deficient Bridges.'

If we're going to move up the list, the Reason Foundation says “New Hampshire needs to reduce its percentage of structurally deficient bridges, decrease its maintenance disbursements per mile and improve its rural arterial pavement condition."

So, our road game is strong, but falls apart when we have to cross a river.