Tennessee has the best quality roads in the country, helping the Volunteer State to rank as one of the best states in America to drive in, according to a study released Tuesday by the online personal website WalletHub.com.
Tennessee ranked as the second best state for motorists, behind only Iowa, in WalletHub’s analysis of the cost, safety and ease of travel on U.S. roads.
The study found Tennessee has cheaper fuel and maintenance costs than most states and better than average roads and more access to car dealers. The Volunteer State also benefits by having less congestion than many more populated states and fewer problems with weather-related potholes experienced in many northern states or hurricane and storm damages to roads in some coastal states.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Census, the median travel time for workers to get to their jobs in the city of Chattanooga is 19.4 minutes, which is one third less time than the U.S. average of 26.6 minutes.
“It’s always good to be recognized for trying to do the right thing and I think overall Tennessee has done a really good job of managing our resources and maintaining our roads,” said state Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, the chairman of the Tennessee House Transportation Committee. “In the three terms that I have been in the Legislature, we have consistently been ranked in the top 5 states for having good roads.”