New localized data says the lack of safety features on roads and bridges costs California drivers $61 billion each year – as much as $2,995 per driver in some areas – due to California’s outdated roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure, currently under threat of further deterioration by Prop 6, the effort to repeal SB 1 – the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

The report also finds that throughout California, more than two-thirds of major roads are in poor or mediocre condition and that 1,603 locally and state-maintained bridges are structurally deficient.

Proposition 6 jeopardizes funding for more than 6,500 bridge and road safety, transportation and public transit improvement projects currently underway throughout California by eliminating more than $5 billion annually in existing transportation funds. CSAC is vehemently opposed to Prop 6 due to the significant negative impacts it would have on all 58 counties and their collective ability to repair and maintain local roads and bridges in a safe and efficient condition.

TRIP is a Washington, D.C. based national transportation research organization that researches, evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on surface transportation issues.  TRIP promotes transportation policies that help relieve traffic congestion and its impact on air quality, improve road and bridge conditions, make surface travel safer, and enhance economic productivity. 

Below are excerpts from the report:

“Driving on California roads that are deteriorated, congested, and that lack some desirable safety features costs California drivers a total of $61 billion each year. TRIP has calculated the cost to the average motorist in the state’s largest urban areas in the form of additional vehicle operating costs (VOC) as a result of driving on rough roads, the cost of lost time and wasted fuel due to congestion, and the financial cost of traffic crashes.”

California had approximately 26.2 million licensed drivers in 2016.

“Maintaining this higher level of transportation funding will be critical in allowing the state to improve road and bridge conditions, relieve traffic congestion and improve traffic safety.  If California is unable to maintain its current level of transportation investment, the cost to the public of deficient roads, traffic congestion, and a lack of adequate roadway safety will increase and economic development opportunities and quality of life in the Golden State will be diminished.”