California Roads and Bridges are Hurting

California has the worst roads in the nation. The Road Information Program (TRIP), a national transportation research group, released a study in July on pavement conditions in large and mid-size urban areas ranking 25 of each size area which have the worst roads.

First on the large urban area list is San Francisco-Oakland with 74 percent of the roads in poor condition.  A close second is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana with 73 percent of the roads in poor condition.  San Jose is 4th (53%), Riverside-San Bernardino 14th (46%) and Sacramento 24th (42%).  Six California cities - Antioch, Santa Rose, Temecula, Hemet, Stockton, Modesto and Oxnard - made the list of 25 mid-size urban areas with poor roads. 

And it’s not just roads.  Transportation for America ranks California as being the 18th worst state for bridge repairs.  Of the 24,542 bridges that are elements of California’s roads and highways, 12.8 percent or over 3,000 bridges are structurally deficient. 

So it is pretty clear we have a problem. Caltrans estimates the state has a $59 billion backlog while cities and counties have an additional $78 billion maintenance backlog..

If all these numbers only bore you, the collapse of the bridge on Interstate 10 near the Arizona border during a rain storm should serve as a wakeup call.  Bridges should not fall down because of rain storms.

You may wonder how we got in this predicament.  There are many reasons.  During a recession the politically easiest way to cut down spending is by deferring maintenance and repair so the transportation system went wanting.  Gas tax revenues - the traditional funding source for roads and bridges - are shrinking due to fuel efficient and alternative fuel vehicles.  And transportation funds have been diverted for other purposes.

As soon as the current state budget was passed, which didn’t include any new funding for road or bridge repairs, the Governor called a special session of the Legislature “To consider and act upon legislation necessary to enact pay-as-you-go, permanent and sustainable funding to adequately and responsibly maintain and repair the state’s transportation and other critical infrastructure…”

That includes finding money without resorting to borrowing. No easy task. The Legislature has not reached an agreement on where to find this funding - some $6 billion per year.  The sources being discussed include both existing ones such as cap-and trade funds and vehicle weight fees and new ones such as increasing the gas tax, diesel fuel tax, vehicle registration fees, vehicle weight fees and a new fee on clean fuel vehicles that don’t pay gas taxes.

The final legislation will most likely include something for everyone to like - the promise of safer, smoother roads - and something for everyone to dislike - new taxes and fees to pay for them.

If we don’t fix our roads and bridges, we will “save” on repair costs. However, poorly maintained highways and bridges raise vehicle maintenance costs, contribute to accidents, and slow down commerce. We “pay” for poorly maintained roads with increased vehicle operating costs, increased insurance costs, and higher prices for goods and services.  You know the lesson: pay me now or pay me later.