ARKANSAS, USA — A new report shows Arkansas’ rural roads have a high deterioration rate and high fatality rate compared to other states.
The report by transportation research nonprofit TRIP revealed that Arkansas ranked third in the nation for rural pavements in poor condition.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) said the report aligns with concerns it has had for years, and the department is working right now to make improvements.
Dave Parker, spokesperson for ARDOT, said the state’s money over the past decade has gone toward primary roads like interstates and highways, and ARDOT has not had the funds to maintain many of the secondary roads.
However, he said that is already changing. In 2019 and 2020, Arkansas lawmakers and voters approved additional funding for the state’s rural roads and bridges.
Because of the backlog of repairs needed on many rural highways, it will take some time to see a difference, but Parker said he thinks drivers could see progress in the next few years.
“I don’t think it's going to be a long time, meaning ten years and beyond – that sort of thing,” Parker said. “I think you're starting to see it now. We're already able to dedicate more money to upkeep for those secondary and even lesser traveled roads than before. It's just a matter of getting to them now, but I think in the next year or so, you'll start to see some roads that are on this list come off.”
The report also revealed Arkansas had the 16th worst fatality rate on rural roads in the nation, which Parker says goes hand in hand with neglected roads, and that rate should go down as the roads improve.
“You get poor roads, you get roads that are not maintained to their best, you're going to have a higher level of fatality, unfortunately,” Parker said. “It all goes hand in hand, but again, when we first saw the report … you would think it wouldn't bode well for us, but it actually supports what we've been saying: We've got a lot of highway systems to maintain. We're doing the best we can. We needed that permanent source of income, and fortunately, the voters in 2020 passed it, and now we're going to start to see the benefits of it.”
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