Study: Concord and Antioch Have Roughest Roads in the Country

According to TRIP, a national transportation research group, they released a study which ranks the San Francisco Bay Area with the worst pavement conditions in the country.

Within the report, it broke down the urban area and says that the City of Concord has the worst roads in the country with a population between 200,000 and 500,000 with the greatest share of major roads and highways with pavements that are in poor condition and provide a rough ride.

The city of Madison Wisconsin was 2^nd with Victorville-Hesperia—Apply Valley (CA) third.  Antioch, CA was 4th followed by Flint, MI.  Stockton, CA was ranked 9^th.

The report states that motorist in Concord average  at least $1,014 in vehicle maintenance due to poor roads. Antioch motorist pay $883 annually. TRIP says the average motorist in the U.S. is losing $523 annually — $112 billion nationally.

Here is a look at the Press Release:

NEW REPORT IDENTIFIES U.S. URBAN AREAS WITH ROUGHEST ROADS AND HIGHEST COSTS TO DRIVERS – AS MUCH AS $1,025 ANNUALLY. AS TRAVEL GROWTH RETURNS TO PRE-RECESSION RATES, ROAD CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO DECLINE FURTHER WITHOUT ADDITIONAL FUNDING AT LOCAL, STATE & FEDERAL LEVELS.

Washington, DC – Driving on deteriorated urban roads costs motorists as much as $1,025 annually, according to a new report that evaluates pavement conditions in the nation’s large (500,000+ population) and mid-sized (200,000-500,000 population) urban areas and calculates the additional costs passed on to motorists as a result of driving on rough roads. Driving on roads in disrepair increases consumer costs by accelerating vehicle deterioration and depreciation, and increasing needed maintenance, fuel consumption and tire wear.

These findings were released today by TRIP, a national transportation research group based in Washington, D.C. The report, “Bumpy Roads Ahead: America’s Roughest Rides and Strategies to make our Roads Smoother,” examines urban pavement conditions, transportation funding, travel trends and economic development. Pavement condition and vehicle operating costs for urban areas with populations of 200,000 or greater can be found in the report and appendices. The charts below detail large and mid-sized urban areas with the highest share of pavements on major locally and state-maintained roads and highways in poor condition and the highest vehicle operating costs (VOC).

In 2014 nearly one-third (32 percent) of the nation’s major urban roads– Interstates, freeways and other arterial routes – had pavements that were in substandard condition and provided an unacceptably rough ride to motorists, costing the average driver $523 annually. The nationwide annual cost of driving on deteriorated roads totals $112 billion.

“This important TRIP report highlights the need for federal leadership to address the nation’s infrastructure deficit.  With both presidential candidates highlighting the importance of rebuilding America’s infrastructure, the time is now to address this critical issue”, stated U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director of Transportation Infrastructure Ed Mortimer.

Road conditions could get even worse in the future as the rate of vehicle travel continues to increase and local and state government find themselves unable to adequately fund road repairs.

With vehicle travel growth rates returning to pre-recession levels and large truck travel anticipated to grow significantly, mounting wear and tear on the nation’s urban roads and highways is expected to increase the cost of needed highway repairs. Vehicle travel in the U.S. increased by 15 percent from 2000 to 2015.  U.S. vehicle travel during the first eight months of 2016 increased 3.1 percent from the same period in 2015. Travel by large commercial trucks in the U.S. increased by 26 percent from 2000 to 2014 and is anticipated to increase by approximately 72 percent from 2015 to 2030, putting greater stress on the nation’s roadways.

“With state and local governments struggling to fund needed road repairs and with federal surface transportation funding falling short of the amount needed to make needed improvements, road conditions are projected to get even worse,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director.  “Without adequate investment at the local, state and federal levels, our nation’s crumbling pavements will be more than just a nuisance for drivers – they’ll be a roadblock to economic growth and quality of life.”

Source:
http://www.tripnet.org/docs/Urban_Roads_TRIP_Report_November_2016.pdf