CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois has fallen four notches, ranking 40th overall in 2008 in a national highway performance report done by the California-based libertarian-leaning group the Reason Foundation.

The study results released Thursday show Illinois ranked first nationally in rural Interstate highway conditions. Illinois ranked 9th for deficient or functionally obsolete bridges and 9th in fatality rates.

The foundation says the score for Illinois was hurt by "high administrative and maintenance costs coupled with poor ratings on narrow rural lanes, rural road condition, and urban Interstate pavement condition."

In 2007, Illinois ranked 36th overall nationally. The Reason Foundation has been doing the annual survey for 19 years.