Best Roads and New Scenic Byways Announced

What’s your favorite stretch of road? In Overdrive magazine’s 11th annual nationwide poll of  long-distance big-rig truckers, the 455-mile long segment of I-40 that traverses Tennessee was voted the best highway segment in the nation. For truckers, time is money so they’re more interested in how quickly they can get from here to there than they are in scenic views. High-quality highway stretches that offer smooth road surfaces, clear roadway markings and easy construction detours qualified highways for high rankings.  I-75 and I-10 through Florida came in second and third, respectively in the poll.

Overall, Florida was judged to have the best highways, followed by Texas, then Tennessee. Pennsylvania had the worst roads followed by Michigan with New York and California tying for third. The worst highway? I-10 through Louisiana. Shrinking revenue and state budget cuts hit many state highway departments hard, leaving fewer funds for highway repair and improvement. $21.8 billion in federal stimulus funds apportioned for more than 10,000 transportation and highway projects is expected to turn that around this year.

While a good road is a pleasure to drive when you’re RVing, RV travelers place greater value on scenery. The more leisurely pace of RV travel leaves plenty of time for scenic outlooks and breathtaking views as you drive around a bend. A new crop of recently announced National Scenic Byways gives RVers 42 new travel destinations to plot into their summer travel plans. Happy trails!