ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new study says the condition of rural roads in Illinois rank as some of the worst in the country.

The 27th Annual Highway Report, released by The Reason Foundation, ranked the condition of pavement in Illinois’ rural roads as 44th in the U.S.

“Pavement condition is measured with the International Roughness Index,” researcher Baruch Feigenbaum told The Center Square. “It’s basically a metric of how bumpy or how many potholes there are per mile.”

The study analyzed the cost versus the quality of road performance.

However, overall, Illinois roads ranked 29th in the U.S., which includes major interstates and highways.

The study ranked roads in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee as the best.

Last year, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced it would spend $34.6 billion to improve roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, and ports over the next six years.

The program will spend $6.36 billion on highway reconstruction, $6.4 billion for bridge improvements, $2.03 billion for strategic expansion, $2.48 billion for engineering and land acquisition, and $1.55 billion for safety and systems modernization.

IDOT increased its investment in Illinois’ roads and bridges due to increased funding from the 6-year, $4 billion federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed last year, and 2019’s Rebuild Illinois plan, which will contribute $33.2 billion to the state’s transportation system over six years.