Contact:
Frank Moretti, Paul Haaland or Carolyn Bonifas - TRIP office:
(202) 466-6706

URBAN PAVEMENT CONDITIONS WORSEN; KANSAS CITY, SAN JOSE, ST. LOUIS, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND, SAN DIEGO, NEW ORLEANS, BOSTON, SACRAMENTO AND OKLAHOMA CITY METRO AREAS HAVE ROUGHEST ROADS IN UNITED STATES

Eds.: Urban pavement conditions and extra vehicle operating costs for urban regions with 500,000 residents or greater are listed in appendices A and B; urban pavement conditions and extra vehicle operating costs for urban regions with 250,000-500,000 residents are listed in appendices C and D.

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2005 - Approximately one in four miles of the nation's major metropolitan roads - Interstates, freeways and other critical local routes - have pavements in substandard condition, resulting in rough rides and costing the average metro area motorist $400 annually in additional vehicle operating costs, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation research group.

TRIP's study, "Rough Ride Ahead: Metro Areas with the Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make Our Roads Smoother," found that the metro areas (500,000 people or more, including city and suburbs) with the highest percentage of major roads and highways with unacceptable pavement quality are: Kansas City - 71%, San Jose - 67%, St. Louis - 66%, Los Angeles - 64%, San Francisco-Oakland - 60%, San Diego - 58%, New Orleans - 55%, Boston - 49%, Sacramento - 49%,
and Oklahoma City - 47%.

"All levels of government share responsibility for improving these roads," said Will Wilkins, TRIP's executive director. "Federal lawmakers can help state and local governments by passing long-term federal surface transportation legislation," said Wilkins. "This will not only allow state and local governments to improve pavement conditions, but provide needed funds to improve safety and traffic flow. An added benefit will be the creation of thousands of badly needed jobs."

Pavement conditions on the nation's major urban roads and highways have worsened in recent years, from 22 percent in poor condition in 1998, to 26 percent in poor condition in 2003. Continued increases in urban traffic cause significant wear and tear on the nation's urban roads. Overall travel on urban roads increased by 41 percent from 1990 to 2003; urban travel by large commercial trucks grew at an even faster rate, increasing by 58 percent from 1990 to 2003. Large trucks place significant stress on road surfaces. Overall vehicle travel is expected to increase by approximately 40 percent by the year 2020 and the level of heavy truck travel nationally is projected to increase by approximately 47 percent by the year 2020.

Studies also show that driving on roads in disrepair increases consumer costs by accelerating vehicle deterioration, increasing the frequency of needed maintenance and increasing fuel consumption. The metro areas (500,000 people or more) where motorists pay the most annually in additional vehicle maintenance because of substandard roads are: San Jose - $689 ($689.38), Kansas City - $689 ($689.09), Los Angeles - $671, St. Louis - $669, San-Francisco-Oakland - $656, Oklahoma City - $636, San Diego - $623, Sacramento - $593, New Orleans - $576 and Tulsa - $573.

Congress is currently deliberating over a new six-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation legislation - the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which expires on May 31, 2005. Congress has passed six short-term extensions of the legislation since Sept. 30, 2003.

"Transportation is a quality of life issue," said Susan Pikrallidas, Vice President of Public Affairs for the AAA, the nation's largest motorist association. "Americans pay a great deal in federal and state taxes to maintain their roads and ensure a safer, smoother, less congested ride. TRIP's report is one more reason Congress needs to pass the TEA-21 reauthorization without further delay."

While a desirable goal for state and local governments is to maintain 75 percent of its roads in good condition, only three metro areas (500,000 people or more): Atlanta, Orlando and Phoenix, achieve this goal. In fact, only 11 major metro areas have at least 50 percent of their major roads in good condition.