Almost 80 percent of New Jersey's major roadway lane miles were rated in “less than good” condition in 2004. (Based on the International Roughness Index in which a score of less than 95 is considered "good;" a score of more than 170 on Interstates, and more than 220 for other roads is "poor.") This represents an improvement from 1997, when just under 89 percent of lane miles were rated “poor,” “mediocre” or “fair.”
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Source: FHWA. Highway Statistics Series, Table HM-64, 1997-2004. |
All of the improvement occurred between 2000 and 2001, with road conditions declining slightly in recent years. Most of the improvement was among roads rated mediocre or fair. The percentage of lane miles rated “poor” grew 13.6 percent, to almost 15 percent, the highest rate in the nation.
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Source: FHWA. Highway Statistics Series, Table HM-64, 1997-2004. |
During the same period, there has been more improvement in the state’s bridges. In 1997, 36.3 percent of bridges were found to be structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. That grew to a high of just over 39 percent in 1998, and then fell throughout the period to 36.6 percent in 2004.
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Source: FHWA. National Bridge Inventory, 1997-2004. |