For the second year in a row, the nation’s truck drivers have selected Interstate 40 in Tennessee as the best road in the nation. In addition, Tennessee’s roadways are again the third best in the nation according to the survey published in Overdrive Magazine.
This is the ninth year in a row the volunteer state’s roads ranked among the top five in the nation. Tennessee drivers also earned top marks from the nation’s truckers this year. They tied with Wyoming for third best drivers in the nation.
"These achievements speak volumes about the quality of Tennessee's transportation network," said Gov. Bredesen. "I'm pleased to see the hard work of TDOT employees garner this recognition at a national level. Tennesseans can be proud to see the state's investment in its transportation system reflected so positively."
Overdrive Magazine polls more than 700 truck drivers across the nation each year asking them to rate the nation’s roads and drivers, state by state. The survey includes opinion about the quality of the roads, the smoothness of the riding surface, road markings, construction detour availability and more. Overdrive Magazine began surveying truck drivers across the nation 13 years ago.
“TDOT works hard to maintain our roadway system and is once again proud to receive these rankings,” said TDOT Comm. Gerald Nicely. “Maintaining Tennessee’s existing infrastructure is a top priority for TDOT and our employees deserve credit for this achievement. This ranking is also made possible by the strong support we receive from the Governor, the Tennessee General Assembly, our local government partners and, of course, the citizens of our state”
“Interstate 40 is one of the busiest roadways in the state,” added TDOT Chief Engineer Paul Degges. “This distinction, along with the third overall ranking, says a lot about the product delivered by TDOT staff and our contractors who work with the state to improve our transportation system.”
“This ranking is a great achievement for our contractors, who work closely with TDOT to provide quality roadways for the state,” said Kent Starwalt, executive vice-president of the Tennessee Road Builders Association. “As we move forward, we will continue to work with TDOT to provide the best roadways in the nation, but it is important to understand that transportation departments across the U.S., including Tennessee, are facing tough financial times. Road building costs continue to climb faster than revenues, so if we are to keep our roads in top shape we need courage and commitment to find a financial fix.”
The five best and worst roads as mentioned by Overdrive Magazine are:
BEST ROADS WORST ROADS
1. Texas 1. Louisiana
2. Florida 2. Pennsylvania
3. Tennessee 3. Oklahoma
4. Virginia 4. California
5. Ohio 5. Arkansas
The five best and worst roads as mentioned by Overdrive Magazine are:
BEST ROAD WORST ROAD
1. I-40 Tennessee 1. I-10 Louisiana
2. I-75 Florida 2-3. (tie) I-40 Oklahoma and
3. I-10 Texas
I-80 Pennsylvania
4. I-81 Virginia 4. I-40 Arkansas
5. I-80 Ohio 5. I-5 California
The five best and worst drivers as mentioned by Overdrive Magazine are:
BEST FOUR-WHEELER DRIVERS WORST FOUR-WHEELER DRIVERS
1. Texas 1. New York
2. California 2. California
3-4. (tie) Tennessee and 3. Illinois
Wyoming 4. Florida
5. Minnesota 5. Texas
Overdrive Magazine is a monthly magazine distributed to trucking industry representative around the country.