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TRIP identifies rural transportation areas in need of work

A new report analyzes which states are in most need of rural road and bridge repair.

Rocky Moretti is the director of Policy and Research at TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit.

“A number of Midwestern states are showing up with still a high share of its rural bridges in poor condition, in fact, the report points out that 80 percent of bridges in poor condition across the country are in the rural areas,” he says.

Iowa, South Dakota, and Michigan are among the top 10 states with the highest percentage of rural bridges in poor condition, while Arkansas has the highest percentage of rural pavements in poor condition.

He tells Brownfield rural households are driving 50 percent more than their urban counterparts and safety remains a challenge.

“The traffic fatality rate on the nation’s rural roadways is approximately double all other roadways,” he says.

Moretti says he expects the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help make significant improvements in rural roadway safety. 

A recent report from the U.S. Transportation Department estimates there is a $180 billion backlog in improvements needed for roads and bridges in rural America.

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