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Study: NJ roads, bridges not as bad as assumed

Northbound traffic on Route 42 passes in a single lane as state troopers and NJ DOT engineers investigate the debris and damage under the bridge struck by an overloaded truck this morning. (File photo: Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer)
Northbound traffic on Route 42 passes in a single lane as state troopers and NJ DOT engineers investigate the debris and damage under the bridge struck by an overloaded truck this morning. (File photo: Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer)
The Associated Press
Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2013, 9:18 AM

NEWARK, N.J. - New Jersey's bridges and roads , and the country's , may be in better shape than we think.

That's the conclusion of a new study for a 20-year period ending in 2008.

The study by the Reason Foundation found that the percentage of bridges deemed deficient dropped from about 38 percent to about 24 percent nationally. In New Jersey, the percentage fell slightly, from 28.5 percent to 27.4 percent.

Highway fatality rates dropped in all 50 states. In New Jersey, fatalities fell from 1.49 per 100 million vehicle miles in 1989 to 0.8 in 2008.

The study's lead author tells The Star-Ledger of Newark (http://bit.ly/YbVVZ2) that spending per mile on roads grew by 60 percent during the 20-year period, but that future spending must be targeted to be effective.

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Information from: The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com

The Associated Press