Would you be surprised to learn Connecticut’s roads are ranked among the worst in the country? According to the Federal Highway Performance Monitoring System, the state has more than 2,100 miles of poorly rated roads — placing it fifth worst nationwide, as recently reported by Hearst Media.
A matter of data, not just damage
Eric Jackson, executive director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute, says the ranking doesn’t entirely align with what he sees on the ground.
"I don't see Connecticut's roads as being any worse than other states," Jackson said. He attributes part of the ranking to the sheer depth of data collection done here: “We're a small state, so we can collect essentially every single mile, where maybe other states are doing other data collection methods that may not be as robust as we are here in Connecticut.”
Jackson also noted that Connecticut’s role as a pass-through for freight vehicles may be skewing the numbers. “We're kind of a pass-through state for a lot of the truck traffic that goes through, and they really beat up the roadways here in Connecticut,” he said.
But the data isn’t all bad news.
“Maybe being on the top of the list isn't the worst thing. Maybe we'll get more funding to fix the roadways,” Jackson said, noting that the HPMS system is used in part to allocate federal infrastructure dollars.
Just how many roads are we talking about?
When asked whether 2,100 miles constituted most of Connecticut’s roads, Jackson clarified: “There's over 4,000 center-line miles of roadway in Connecticut that are state run, and there's probably about 10 times that on the local system.”
What really causes crashes
While poor pavement might cause frustration, Jackson said it's not a leading factor in crashes statewide.
“So, we've done several different studies,” he said. “Really and truly, the major cause of a lot of the crashes we're seeing is just bad human behaviors out on the roadway. If people are speeding, if they're not braking properly, if they're not paying attention, that's predominantly what's causing a lot of our crashes.”
Pavement labs and nighttime visibility
Jackson outlined some of the work happening at the University of Connecticut to improve road quality.
“We have a pavement laboratory here at the university, working with primarily the Connecticut DOT to understand pavement life longevity, how to prevent potholes, different mix designs and ways to make our pavement system last longer,” he said.
He also defended what may seem like premature repaving efforts.
“A lot of people complain about preventative maintenance that's done,” he said. “People will say, ‘My road’s only six years old, and they're already repaving it.’ It's doing that to try and extend the life of the base and the pavement that's out there.”
Another project focuses on lane markings. “We've got a vehicle that's going out to try and look at lane markings and how reflective they are in keeping the quality of those lane markings up high enough that people don't run into sight issues at night while they're driving,” Jackson said.
A funding conundrum in the age of EVs
Jackson warned that the growing popularity of electric vehicles threatens to undermine traditional road funding mechanisms.
“So, the biggest challenge that we are facing right now is the electrification of our vehicle fleet,” he said. “There is no gas tax on electric vehicles. So the more electric vehicles that switch over… there's nothing on the electric vehicle side helping to fund the roadways that are out there.”
Historically, the gas tax has funded the nation’s road infrastructure. But with EV adoption accelerating, Jackson said, “That's one of the major policy conundrums that we have to find a solution to.”
