Reason Foundation

October 8, 2016

Top Story

22nd Annual Highway Report

South Carolina, South Dakota and Kansas Have the Nation’s Most Cost-Effective State Highway Systems

Alaska Ranks Last, Just Ahead of New Jersey and Hawaii

Annual Highway Report finds 40 states now have traffic delays that cost drivers at least 20 hours per year; states made progress on deficient bridges; state highway spending decreased slightly; and pavement conditions worsened marginally.

David T. Hartgen, Baruch Feigenbaum, M. Gregory Fields

The nation’s top-performing, most cost-effective highways can be found in South Carolina, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Maine, according to Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report. 

The study finds the worst-performing, least cost-effective highway systems are in Alaska, New Jersey, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report tracks the performance of state-owned highway systems in 11 categories, including highway spending, pavement and bridge condition, traffic congestion, and fatality rates. The study is based on spending and performance data that state highway agencies submitted to the federal government for 2013, the most recent year with complete data available. 

The numbers show a widening performance gap emerging. Most states are making some small progress with their state highway systems but a group of states are struggling and failing to improve. 

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22nd Annual Highway Report
State-by-State Summaries

Overviews of how each state performs in key categories, including pavement condition, deficient bridges, traffic congestion and spending per mile.

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Privatization and Public-Private Partnership Trends in Local Government

Local Privatization Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2016

Austill Stuart, Leonard Gilroy

This section of Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2016 provides a comprehensive overview of the latest on privatization and public-private partnerships in local government, including the latest on water/wastewater public-private partnerships, solid waste privatization, local government and school service privatization in Michigan, and much more.

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Federal Government Privatization Update

Federal Government Privatization Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2016

John Palatiello

This section of Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2016 provides an overview of the latest on privatization and public-private partnerships at the federal level. Topics include the historical context of federal privatization, public-private competitions for Department of Defense functions, initiatives to expand private investment in major infrastructure sectors, and more.

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Pension Reform Newsletter - September 2016

Michigan pension reform, California court ruling, net amortization, bad pension investment returns, and more

Leonard Gilroy, Anthony Randazzo

In This Issue:

• Michigan Pension Reform Case Study
• How Flexible Is the California Rule?
• Another Tool to Measure Pension Health: Net Amortization
• Positivity on Bad Pension Investment Returns?
• Ranking of State Finances Offers Insight on Public Pension Debt
• Contribution Rate Volatility vs. Long-Term Pension Underfunding
• Could Buffered Index Funds Help Struggling Public Pensions?
• Glossary of Pension Terminology

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The World Health Organization's Opposition to Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Threat to Public Health?

Why secrecy and a failure to embrace alternatives to smoking have the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on a path to failure.

Julian Morris

This brief seeks to assess and critique the lack of transparency, openness and accountability of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). It considers the results, including arbitrary, ideologically driven recommendations, which in turn lead to domestic regulations that are unduly restrictive—and in some cases counterproductive.

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Surface Transportation News #155

Critics bash tolling and P3 concessions and how can Amtrak repay a $2.45 billion loan?

In this issue:

• Critics bash tolling and P3 concessions
• How can Amtrak repay a $2.45 billion loan?
• Mileage-based user fee pilot projects
• Future of the Interstates study under way
• The impact of car-sharing on vehicle ownership
• The 2016 automated vehicles conference                                  
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

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Air Traffic Control Newsletter #136

ATC reform goes mainstream | GAO on ATC transition issues

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• ATC reform goes mainstream
• GAO on ATC transition issues
• Aireon close to first launch
• GAO on Trust Fund shortfall
• Progress on controller recruitment
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

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