Report finds Connecticut’s rural roads among the nation’s worst

A new report issued by TRIP, a national transportation research organization, has faulted Connecticut with having the second worst rural transportation system in the country.

potholes bad roads connecticut rural roads — A worker parches a pothole in Bridgeport. Photo by Connecticut Hearst Media

The TRIP study found 39 percent of the rural roads in Connecticut were in poor condition ”“ only Rhode Island fared worse, with a 41 percent rating. TRIP also rated 34 percent of Connecticut”™s rural roads as being in a mediocre state, while 8 percent of the bridges in rural areas were deemed structurally inefficient. And the traffic fatality rate on Connecticut”™s rural roads, 1.45 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, was nearly double the rate on the roads in the state”™s urban and suburban areas.

The TRIP report warned that rural roads play a crucial role in the wider economy. “Rural transportation accessibility and connectivity is critical to transportation-dependent business sectors including the growing energy production sector, advanced manufacturing and tourism,” the report stated. “Many jobs located in urban areas also depend on economic input from rural communities.”