Report: Texas’ roads are some of the nation’s worst due to high traffic, low state spending

Despite its supersized highways and obsession with cars, Texas ranks in the bottom third of states for road quality, according to a new study, which also found more than 16% of the state’s major roadways are in poor condition.

Construction Coverage, a top publisher of construction-industry research, examined 2023 statistics from Federal Highway Administration to determine road quality in all 50 states. With just 50% of its major roadways considered to be in good quality, Texas ranked 16th from the bottom of the list.

Researchers attributed the Lone Star State’s poor showing to it not spending enough on infrastructure upgrades to account for its breakneck growth and the toll increased traffic has taken on its highways.

“Texas’s road infrastructure is under increasing strain as the state experiences rapid population growth, high traffic volumes and aging transportation assets,” report author Jon Jones told the Current via email.

To Jones’ point, Texas’ share of roadways in poor condition is higher than the overall U.S. statistic of 13%, while its share of those in good condition is lower than the 55% nationwide. What’s more, the Lone Star State’s standing slipped two ranks from the previous year’s study. 

“A combination of factors — including decades of stagnant gas tax rates, rising construction and maintenance costs, and expanding infrastructure needs — has created a widening gap between what’s required and what’s funded [in Texas],” Jones added. “So, as a result, many roads across Texas are deteriorating faster than they can be repaired or replaced.”

While the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act under the Biden administration dedicated $110 billion in funding for road repairs across the country, the funding boost followed stagnant infrastructure spending for much of the prior decade, according to Construction Coverage.

Rhode Island has the nation’s worst roads with 37.2% in poor condition, while Indiana had the nation’s best with just 2.7% in poor condition. High-density states with heavy traffic, including California and those in the Northeast tend to have the worst road quality, according to the report, while Midwestern and Southern states have fewer in a state of deterioration.

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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 13, 2025.