Middletown Township Intersection Named Pennsylvania’s Roughest Road

At the meeting point of Bellvue and Comly Avenues in Middletown Township, Bucks County, drivers face the state's worst road surface. The spot scored 987 on the International Roughness Index (IRI), making it Pennsylvania's most jarring intersection.

The state ranks tenth worst nationwide for road quality, based on Bureau of Transportation data. The IRI system tracks surface quality by measuring how much a vehicle's suspension moves while driving. Short stretches of smooth pavement give way to teeth-rattling bumps across much of the state.

Bucks County streets dominate the worst-rated list. The Middletown Township spot ties with Langhorne's Neshaminy Street at 987. Not far behind, the Sellersville Bypass ranks fourth at 913.

In western Pennsylvania, Johnstown's Frank J. Pasquerilla Memorial Bridge holds third place, scoring 915. A stretch of Valley Road in York County's Etters rounds out the top spots at 907.

The IRI scale sets clear standards. Scores under 95 mark smooth streets. Ratings from 95 to 170 show acceptable conditions. Above 170? That's when the bumps start.

Pittsburgh's streets didn't escape notice. Court Place scored 756, while PA-228 through Cranberry Township hit 898. Eastern counties show similar wear: streets in Lackawanna, Northampton, and Carbon all topped 690.

In Philadelphia, two main streets made the list. Baltimore Avenue scored 672. Just blocks away, Chestnut Street rated 664.

The 2023 Highway Performance Monitoring System tracked these conditions. Each road in the top twenty scored above 660 - far past the threshold for acceptable driving conditions.