on the roads again

Trying to minimize wear and tear on your truck fleet? Then you might want to stay away from New Jersey and look for more business in North Dakota.

A new report on the condition of state-owned highways and roads has found that New Jersey has "the worst-performing, least cost-effective highway system in the nation." North Dakota, with its wide-open spaces and relatively small population, has done the best job of cost-effectively maintaining its roads and bridges.

The study, titled The 17th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems, was conducted by the Reason Foundation, a group that describes itself as "a free market think tank" that advises governments and private businesses on transportation issues, among other subjects. The report measures the condition of state-owned highways and roads, and then ranks each state's performance through 2006 in 12 categories. Examples include pavement condition, bridge condition, congestion, traffic fatalities, and highway maintenance costs.

A few other stats of interest: Alabama wins the "most improved" award, moving up 14 spots from No. 43 the previous year to No. 29 in overall cost-effectiveness. Massachusetts' roads are safest in terms of traffic fatalities, while travelers in Montana are at greatest risk. California is king when it comes to traffic congestion: 83 percent of its urban interstates are congested, say the researchers.

To download a copy of the full 66-page report, go to www.reason.org/ps369.pdf.