California's Urban Roads Rated ``Poor''; Motorists Pay Costs in Hidden Taxes.

News Editors

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2000

California's urban roads are among the worst in the country and cost drivers in the state's largest cities more than $180 a year in additional repairs and operating costs according to a new report from The Road Information Program (TRIP), a national highway research group based in Washington, D.C.

Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco-Oakland and Sacramento rank in the bottom 10 of urban pavement conditions in major metropolitan areas in the United States with 25 to 35 percent of their roads in poor condition, the worst pavement ranking. TRIP used data from the Federal Highway Administration to compile the report.

Unlike recent studies of traffic congestion, the TRIP study examined the condition of the roads brought about by heavy use and deferred roadway maintenance.

Los Angeles urban roads fare worst among California cities in the national study of 50 major metropolitan areas. LA ranks third on the national list behind Detroit and New Orleans. San Jose is number five, San Francisco-Oakland is number six and Sacramento is number 10.

Nationally 19 percent of urban roads were rated poor and another 19 percent were rated mediocre. More than half of major roads in Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento are ranked either poor or mediocre. Roads rated mediocre need to be repaired before deteriorating to poor condition, which requires significant repair and often reconstruction.

Driving on roads in poor repair costs California drivers significantly more than drivers in other parts of the country. TRIP says bad roads cost the average driver $142 in additional vehicle operating costs and repairs. The average in Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland and San Jose is $179 or more a year. California drivers also lose substantial time and gasoline sitting in congestion. Motorists in the eight largest urban areas of the state are paying an additional $18.4 billion a year in hidden costs because of bad roads and congestion.

Bert Sandman, Chairman of Transportation California, the state's leading highway advocacy group, said that as California's urban freeways become more congested, and as economic growth fuels population growth, the state's motorists and truckers have sought alternate routes to get to and from work and other destinations, filling freeways and main arterials as well as surface streets. "Urban roads now carry an enormous volume of traffic - a burden they were not designed to accommodate," he stressed.

According to figures from the California Transportation Commission, the result of growth, heavy usage and lack of adequate investment is that California now needs to invest $100 billion more than it presently spends to accommodate current traffic volume and near-term growth on its extensive network of highways, roads and bridges. This at a time when rising gasoline prices are prompting some state legislators to propose reducing or eliminating the state gasoline taxes that provide most of the funds for road and highway maintenance.

Transportation California says eliminating the gas tax as a source of revenue would turn a crisis into a catastrophe. "The TRIP study is further confirmation that our failure to maintain our investment in our highways is costing the average Californian hundreds of dollars a year in hidden taxes," Sandman said. "If proposals to save a few pennies in the gas tax are adopted, they will wind up costing consumers even more in additional lost time and vehicle repair while the roads deteriorate at an accelerating pace. That kind of thinking is a classic example of being penny-wise and pound-foolish."

Founded in 1971, The Road Information Program (TRIP) of Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization that researches, evaluates, and distributes economic and technical data on highway transportation issues.

Transportation California is a statewide coalition of unions, highway contractors, businesses and others concerned about the future of California's highways.