The Hidden Cost of Bad Roads

More than a quarter of the nations’ roads are in poor condition and drivers are paying for it in car upkeep costs.

July 01, 2015

WASHINGTON – Americans are driving more than ever this year, clocking in at close to a trillion miles driven in the first four months of the year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. As any driver knows, all those roads traveled comes at a cost. But perhaps less discussed is the cost of driving on bad roads.

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, the shoddy state of the nation's roads cost the average driver $515 in extra operation and maintenance costs on their car. This data comes from the TRIP, a national transportation research group. TRIP’s analysis shows that 28% of the nation's major roadways – interstates, freeways and major arterial roadways in urban areas – are in "poor" condition. This means they have so many major ruts, cracks and potholes that they can't simply be resurfaced but need to be completely rebuilt.

At the same time, the funds to maintain these all-important roads are increasingly in danger with the Highway Trust Fund hovering toward insolvency, extended piecemeal by congressional wrangling.

The Washington Post says that the nation’s capital claims the dubious distinction of having the worst roads in America, with 92% of major roadways rated as "poor" and zero percent rated "good."

However, as with most things, writer Christopher Ingraham deems D.C. “a special case” that may not represent an apples-to-apples comparison nationwide. When it comes to states with the worst roads, California tops the list with just over half (51%) of its highways rated poor. Rhode Island, New Jersey and Michigan also have "poor" ratings of 40% or more.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Florida has the smallest percentage of bad roads in the nation at a mere 7%, perhaps because the state’s roads don’t take the toll of harsh winter weather. However, Nevada, Missouri, Minnesota and Arkansas round out the top five best roads – not exactly temperate climates, other than Nevada.

On average, drivers in most states are paying around $400 or $500 extra per year in extra vehicle upkeep thanks to shoddy road maintenance. But drivers in six states plus the District of Columbia are likely to pay over $600 a year in extra costs, and unlucky Oklahoma and California residents may be hit with more than $760 per year in added costs.

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