As Congress struggles with the issue of funding the nation’s transportation needs, a new report reveals that rural communities in America are the victims of aging infrastructure. The report, issued by the non-profit organization TRIP, also highlights the importance of reliable transportation to rural America.

“Without an efficient transportation system, vibrant rural communities cannot exist,” said Veronica Nigh, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation during a press conference.

Sound infrastructure is essential to support the agriculture that thrives in rural areas, but roads and bridges in lesser populated areas often get overlooked. The report reveals that 15 percent of the country’s rural roads, not including interstate highways, have pavement in poor condition. Michigan, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Idaho and Kansas topped the list for pavement problems.

Nationally, 11 percent of rural bridges were structurally deficient as of 2014 and 10 percent were functionally obsolete. Structurally deficient bridges are considered safe for travel but in need of repair. Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Iowa and South Dakota had the highest percentages of structurally deficient bridges.

Infrastructure disrepair plays a key role in the higher rate of crash fatalities on rural roads compared to urban roads, according to the study. In 2013, rural highway fatalities, excluding interstate crashes, occurred at a rate of 2.2 per 100 million miles for all vehicle types. The average rate for non-rural roads is 1.15 per 100 million miles.

Source: Trucking Topics