Worst Roads In the United States

When I drove back from Florida recently, the roads traveled were all in good to excellent condition. About 25 miles in Illinois from Paducah, Ky., the roads started turning from bad to worse almost all the way to Peoria. When I hit Peoria roads, they were worse than any but that is to be in another blog.

In April, 2009, Jan Wright, Editor of IB, wrote about an article in Parade magazine quoting a survey of 2500 truckers asking which are the worst roads they travel. Illinois highways I-55, I-80, I-57, and I-90 helped describe Illinois as being among the 10 worst in the nation. Michigan received the lowest marks that all roads are bad especially I-75 into Detroit.

Two years later, little has improved. Illinois always blames "bad weather" whether it is turn out at the Chiefs ball park or roads and bridges. Lot's of other states have worse weather and better roads.

Ms. Wright offers high hopes for changes in Illinois administration and the selection of Ray LaHood as Secretary of Transportation. Forget LaHood help, he is on an Obama led drive for HI-Speed rail and expansion of the government Amtrack. (More on Hi-Speed rail and Amtrack in an upcoming blog).

When I was in Florida gas prices ranged from $3.06 t $3.19 at Mobil. In Georgia, one station advertised at $2.88. In Tennessee and Kentucky prices did not exceed $3.27. As soon as I hit Illinois , prices jumped from a low of $3.37 to a high $3.74 at one station.

I noted also that stations in all of Florida where I traveled had different prices as if they were competing against one another. I have read all the reasons for many years why Peoria prices remain high but no one has explained why almost all stations, including Road Ranger, a station that started low and then got in step with the same price scenario; I noted a 1 cent difference between them and Beachlers last week.

One can only conclude that there is a gas monopoly in Peoria and that we will always have the highest priced gas and the worst streets, sidewalks, curbs and shoulders.

Maybe so many people are busy on their electronic medias while driving that they don't notice, don't care, work for the city highway department or whatever.

World class city, Mr. Hollings? Not yet.