If you spend much time driving on local roads, this news may not be much of a surprise to you. However, it does confirm what many motorists have known for years now: our roads stink!
Two thirds of the roads in the San Diego region are in need of repair, and the average motorist in the region loses nearly $1,900 per year as a result of driving on congested and poorly maintained roads, according to a new report from TRIP, a national nonprofit transportation research group based in Washington, DC.
Local transportation and business leaders, including San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Jerry Sanders, and Caltrans District 11 Director Laurie Berman, joined TRIP to announce the findings at an August 17 press conference.
Other key findings from TRIP include:
• Bad roads cost residents in the region 42 hours and 11 gallons of fuel each year.
• Our region’s economy depends on good roads as the majority of the freight (77 percent of $270 billion worth of goods that are shipped to or from sites in San Diego County annually) is moved by trucks.
• Each dollar spent on road, highway, and bridge improvements yields an average benefit of $5.20.
The full report, “California Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe, Smooth and Efficient Mobility,” as well as the press release, can be found on tripnet.org. A video recap of the press conference is available here.
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