Taxpayers pay a lot to maintain state roads in Maryland: $401,491 per mile versus the national average of $145,127.

But they do not get a lot in return, according to the latest annual report from the libertarian Reason Foundation on the state of the country's highways (http://reason.org/files/19th_annual_highway_report.pdf). Despite heavy spending, the condition of the state's urban highways ranks 39th of the 50 states. Maryland ranks 43rd overall, dragged down by its congested roads. (See page 62 for Maryland's rankings.)

State officials dispute the ranking and say that Maryland cannot be compared to other states. "It costs a lot more money to maintain the Capital Beltway than it does for a podunk road in North Dakota," Valerie Edgar, spokeswoman for the Maryland State Highway Administration, told Maryland Reporter last week. Other elected officials echoed her response to the study.

They have a point. Maryland has a lot of multi-lane roads, and road width is not included in the calculations. And Maryland probably overspends on safety measures such as temporary white lines to guide traffic to avoid lawsuits. But Maryland does not regularly face extreme temperatures that force Northern states to start rebuilding roads as soon as the snow melts. As anyone who lives in Chicago knows, there are two seasons: winter and construction, yet Illinois ranks higher than Maryland. And why is it that other heavily traveled states, including Virginia and Texas, rank higher than Maryland and spend less on each mile?

David Hartgen, the lead author of the study, said worse than Maryland's current ranking is that over the last decade the state's ranking has slipped relative to other states. Nationally, highways have been steadily improving, he said, so "Maryland taxpayers have a right to ask why their system is not gaining ground."

The Reason report is the only one to analyze state-by-state spending on highways and the outcomes of those dollars. That makes criticizing Hartgen a case of attacking the messenger for bearing bad news that would otherwise be hidden. Officials have never disputed his numbers.

The most troubling conclusion of the report, however, is something not addressed by it: Maryland cut funding to counties for road maintenance by $363 million this year to balance the budget. The Reason report uses 2008 data, so the consequences of recession-budget shuffling are not apparent in it. Local jurisdictions can expect the same treatment in coming years as legislators and the governor regularly raid dedicated funds to pay for other expenses.

That can only mean that Maryland's road conditions will continue to deteriorate as there will be less money to fix potholes and other essential maintenance. Given that the Board of Public Works just approved $160 million for consultants for the planned Purple Line connecting New Carrollton and Bethesda, the state will have even less money to spend on roads. And there are $40 billion worth of planned but unfunded transportation projects the state will have to finance at some point.

Actions have consequences. If legislators and the next governor, whether Gov. Martin O'Malley or his challenger, Republican Robert Ehrlich, want accessible highways, they will have to find other sources of money for the General Fund. Otherwise, get used to more traffic jams and trips to the repair shop.

Marta Mossburg is a senior fellow at the Maryland Public Policy Institute. Contact her at mmossburg@mdpolicy.org.