New report shows state highways in good shape

A new report on the condition of the USA's state highways finds that they are in the best shape they have been in nearly 20 years.

The annual study by the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based, libertarian, non-profit think tank, credits road improvement progress man by states and decreased wear and tear as commuters and commercial truckers drove less during the recession.

Hartgen measured the condition and cost-effectiveness of state roads in 11 categories, including deficient bridges, urban traffic congestion, fatality rates and pavement condition. National performance in all of those areas improved in 2008, he says. For instance, pavement on urban interstates and rural primary roads is the smoothest since 1993.