A recent study of the “Best and Worst US States to Drive In” found Michigan is by far the worst in the Upper Midwest.

The personal finance website MoneyGeek recently analyzed data from the Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Census Bureau, FBI and other sources to evaluate five factors that impact commutes: traffic, transportation costs, safety, road infrastructure and weather.

Using a dozen metrics across the five categories, researchers ranked states by category, and produced an overall ranking from worst to best based on weighted averages.

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With a final score of 35 out of 100, MoneyGeek ranked Michigan as the 28^th worst state overall, well ahead of other Upper Midwest states including Wisconsin in 38^th, South Dakota in 44^th, Iowa in 45^th, Minnesota in 46^th, and North Dakota in 48^th.

In the broader Midwest, Michigan had the third worst ranking behind Missouri in 12^th and Illinois in 23^rd. In terms of cost, only Illinois, ranked 12^th, was more expensive than Michigan.

The Great Lakes State’s best category was safety, ranked 32^nd out of 50, while it was in the middle of the pack nationally for congestion with a rank of 26^th. The other three categories ranked among the worst, with costs ranked 22^nd, infrastructure ranked 20^th, and a fifth place finish for the worst weather.

Nationally, the top 10 worst states for drivers included California as the worst, followed by Louisiana, Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, Delaware, South Carolina, Mississippi, New York and Texas. The best states for drivers was Nebraska, followed by Kansas, North Dakota, Idaho, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana, according to the study.

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The MoneyGeek study was released shortly before another from TRIP that examined the hidden costs Michigan’s terrible roads impose on motorists.

“Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost Michigan motorists a total of $17 billion statewide annually – as much as $3,005 per driver in some areas – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays,” according to a news release from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit.

Those extra costs include $5.7 billion annually in lost time and wasted fuel due to traffic congestion, $5.9 billion in extra vehicle operating costs, and $5.4 billion for traffic crashes in which inadequate roadway safety features were a factor.

Those costs are only likely to increase as the state’s roads continue to crumble, despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign promises to “fix the damn roads.”

Michigan’s 2023 Road & Bridges Annual Report released this spring showed the state improved 16.2% of roads eligible for federal aid between 2021 and 2023, while 21.2% of those roads declined.

It was the same deal with non-federal aid roads, of which “47% were found to be in poor condition … (or) 2% more than from 2021 to 2022.”

“Roads are deteriorating faster than the agencies can repair them,” according to the Transportation Asset Management Council that issued the report.

The road and bridges report found 33% of Michigan’s paved federal aid roads are in poor condition, 41% are in fair condition, and 26% are in good condition. By 2035, the council predicts 52% will be in poor condition, 28% in fair condition, and 20% in good condition.

“Infrastructure is the backbone of Michigan’s economy,” said Ed Noyola, chief deputy and legislative director of the County Road Association of Michigan. “The problem is not going away and we cannot continue to allow Michigan’s critical roads and bridges to fall into poor condition. We must invest in our transportation system to ensure that it is safe and reliable for generations to come.”

Instead, the Whitmer administration borrowed $3.5 billion in 2019 to fund road projects that’s slated to run out this year, and Michigan is now “quickly approaching a revenue cliff” with no clear solution in sight, according to The Detroit News.

Meanwhile, the governor is backing increased fuel efficiency standards and electric vehicle incentives pushed by the Biden administration that are expected to further erode motor fuels tax revenues, the primary source of road funding, contributing to a $3.9 billion annual funding gap for road and bridge repairs.

TRIP notes that funding gap “could be even higher if maintenance is deferred and repairs become more costly over time.”