Mar 27, 2008

California at Top of Worst Roads List

Drivers in all California’s major cities are feeling the pinch of heavy traffic, not only on the road but also in their wallets. The state’s rough pavements, which contribute to poorer traffic flow, cost some Californians as much as $778 a year in additional wear and tear.

In a report released today, TRIP, a national transportation research group, found that California -- despite some progress -- still rules when it comes to bumpy roads. Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, San Jose, San Diego and Sacramento made the top 10 in poor-quality roadways. Additionally, Riverside-San Bernardino, Oxnard-Ventura and Fresno made the top 20 list of large urban regions (500,000+ in population).

Despite an improvement in San Jose this year, rough roads are still the norm in California’s urban areas. TRIP found that while a quarter of the nation’s major metropolitan roads -- interstates, freeways and other critical local routes -- have pavements in poor condition, California cities on the top 10 list have 46 to 65 percent of pavements rated in poor condition. These poor roads create additional vehicle-operating costs, including accelerated vehicle deterioration, additional maintenance needs and increased fuel consumption. In California’s biggest urban areas, poor roads cost the average motorist more than $650 a year, and approximately $750 a year in the Los Angeles and the Bay Area. That compares with a $413 national average. Four California urban areas ranked in the top five costliest: Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, San Jose and San Diego. Sacramento ranked eighth.

“The good news is California is making progress in improving freeways and urban roads, thanks to a serious commitment at all levels of government to address the problem,” said Mark Watts, executive director of Transportation California, the state’s leading education and advocacy group for transportation. “The bad news is now that we’ve made a down payment on our infrastructure future, our funding again is threatened. The state budget crisis, a possible reduction in federal funding plus escalating construction costs will put a crimp in the buying power of California’s imperiled transportation dollars.”