Mapped: Arkansas' highways rank above average
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Arkansas' highways are 17th in the nation in terms of cost-effectiveness and condition, according to a recent report.
- The ranking is based on data from 2019.
Why it matters: The Reason Foundation's annual report measures 13 categories of state-controlled highways, including urban and rural pavement conditions, deficient bridges, traffic fatalities, spending per mile and administrative costs per mile.
By the numbers: Arkansas' ranking fell from No. 9 in 2018.
- The state performed worse in 2019 in terms of both urban and rural fatality rates.
- There were 505 reported fatalities in 2019, down from 520 the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
- However, the state's five-year average of fatalities climbed to 532 in 2019.
The intrigue: Arkansas performed best in terms of traffic congestion. Individual drivers wasted just more than 5 hours in traffic during 2019, making it the fifth-best state in the nation for the category.
For comparison, drivers in New Jersey spent 86 hours in congested traffic that year, the report states.