Deteriorating Seatte area roads cost drivers over $600 a year

If you think some of our roads around here are getting bad, it’s not your imagination. A new study says 45 percent of major Seattle area roads have pavement in poor condition, and it’s costing us plenty.

A national transportation analysis released Thursday ranks Seattle 12th in the nation among cities with more than 500,000 residents for the percentage of roads in poor condition and the annual cost to drivers, according to TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that studies transportation data and issues.

The study says deteriorating roads cost local drivers $625 per year in added vehicle maintenance, 14th worst in the country.

We’re far from alone. More than a quarter of major urban highways and streets are in poor condition, according to TRIP. Those roadways handle about 78 percent of the 2 trillion miles driven annually in urban America.

“The tremendous daily pounding that urban roadways
endure from cars and trucks has taken a toll. From coast to coast, major streets and freeways in most U.S.
communities are showing significant signs
of distress,” the report warns.

It’s all a matter of money. TRIP says at the current level of investment in the nation’s roads and highways, overall pavement conditions can be expected to get worse.

A 2010 US DOT report to Congress said local, state and federal governments need to increase funding by 21 percent over current levels just to maintain current conditions, and over 50 percent more to make a “modest” improvement in the condition of the nation’s roads and highways.

If it’s any comfort, our roads could be a lot worse. The Los Angeles area topped the rankings, with deteriorating conditions on about 64 percent of the roads costing drivers about $832 a year.