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."
Best states to drive in
1. Iowa 2. Tennessee 3. North Carolina 4. Texas 5. Nebraska 6. Georgia 7. Virginia 8. Indiana 9. Arkansas 10. Alabama Source: WalletHub
OverDrive Magazine has rated Tennessee highways among the top 5 states in the nation for years, based upon surveys of truck drivers. Last year, the Reason Foundation ranked Tennessee No. 7 among the 50 states for its road conditions and cost-efficient state highway system, based upon data the states submit to the federal government.
Wallethub, which estimates traffic congestion costs U.S. drivers $87 billion in 2018, analyzed 31 factors affecting driving for its new study. The analysis examined the cost of owning and maintaining a car, traffic and road infrastructure, safety and access to vehicles and maintenance for its ranking. The WalletHub study said three of the worst cities in the world for traffic congestion and travel are in the United States and America ranked No. 17 out of 141 countries in an assessment of road quality.
The latest recognition for Tennessee by WalletHub comes three years after the Tennessee General Assembly boosted the state's gas and diesel tax anywhere from 6 to 10 cents a gallon to boost spending on roads as part of the IMPROVE Act adopted n 2017.
Jennifer Flynn, a community relations manager for the Tennessee Department of Transportation in Chattanooga, said TDOT "strives to use taxpayer dollars responsibly by maintaining the infrastructure currently in place, while also strategically planning for future projects.
"We are proud that we are able to accomplish this without carrying any transportation debt," she said."Carrying no debt allows TDOT to dedicate 100% of its funds to infrastructure maintenance and improvements rather than interest payments."
The Wallethub study ranked Georgia No. 6 and Alabama and No. 9 as the best states to drive in. The worst states for drivers, in order, are Hawaii, Rhode Island, Washington, California and Colorado.