WKSU Stories

Ohio's Highways are Improving Compared to the Rest of the Country

Ideastream Public Media | By Carter Adams,

Published August 26, 2019 at 5:10 AM EDT

The state gas tax increase will have the most effect on diesel fuel, Ohio business leaders said.

A new report finds that compared to the rest of the country, Ohio’s highways are getting better.

The study comes from the Reason Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank focused on market oriented solutions. It measured traffic fatalities, congestion and construction costs.

Baruch Feigenbaum is the lead author on the report. He says Ohio’s overall ranking has improved.

“Ohio’s strength is doing well in just about every category and not doing poorly in any one category, and so the gradual improvement is the biggest reason for the gain from, I think it’s 26 to 18^th," Feigenbaum said. "And so it looks like Ohio’s strength is being able to maintain its roadways at a relatively low cost and I think that’s the biggest factor.”

The state had its best scores in rural and overall fatality rates. But it scored among the worst for urban pavement conditions and bridge disbursements per mile.

When it comes to neighboring states, only Kentucky scored higher ranking 5th nationally overall.