Transit agency warns of unseen costs caused by San Diego roads

By Dave Schwab

The average San Diego driver loses nearly $1,900 annually as a result of driving on roads that are congested, deteriorated or lack sufficient safety features.

That was the distressing news coming out of a Sept. 11 news conference at Caltrans San Diego headquarters near Old Town.

What’s encouraging, according to local public and transportation officials who discussed a report on road conditions released by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, is that there’s still time to improve substandard state thoroughfares.

“The main message is fix the highways,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP executive director, who added that inadequate roadway conditions “cost the state’s residents approximately $44 billion a year due to congestion-related delays, higher vehicle operating costs and traffic crashes.”

Former mayor Jerry Sanders, now the president and CEO of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, was also present to speak about the importance of improving local roadways.

“Insufficient and deteriorating transportation systems are a strain on the local economy and this report from TRIP underscores just how much this impacts the San Diego area and our workforce,” said Sanders.

“Our region has a large population, is a tourist destination, a trade corridor and we generate a tremendous amount of traffic,” noted Laurie Berman, director of Caltrans District 11 which covers San Diego and Imperial counties. “Maintenance of our highway system is an ongoing battle.”

Wilkins added that according to the latest Federal Highway Administration data, “more than half of the major urban roads in the San Diego metro area are in poor condition,” which he said results in “37 hours of delay annually for the average motorist.”

Warning that poor road conditions “cost our workforce and businesses thousands of dollars each year,” Sanders said he and a group of business leaders just returned from Washington, D.C. where they discussed transportation and infrastructure. “Investing in efficient and safe roadways is a sound investment in the growth and development of the local economy and jobs,” Sanders continued. “It’s essential that local, state and federal funding be made available to improve the [road] conditions.”

One out of every 10 miles driven in the U.S. is in California, Berman said. She added the state is pursuing a “fix-it-first policy” with road repairs, noting “every dollar spent on preventative pavement maintenance saves taxpayers $11 on future pavement repairs.”

The funding picture must change in order for California to remain proactive in properly maintaining its aging highway system, Berman said.

“Most of California’s highways are more than half a century old,” she said. “With declining revenue from gas taxes, California needs a stable source of funding to maintain our transportation infrastructure.”

TRIP is supported by a coalition of manufacturing, insurance, construction, labor and engineering organizations, said Wilkins adding, “We advocate for greater investment in our surface transportation system.”

Wilkins said improving California’s transportation infrastructure will require a “balanced approach making strategic investments in additional roadways, transit and non-motorized access.”

Wilkins added the efficiency of California’s surface transportation system is also “critical to the health of the state’s economy.”

TRIP’s executive director warned that “needed improvements to the state’s transportation system is seriously threatened by the ongoing lack of adequate federal revenue,” as well as “continued uncertainty about the future level of surface transportation funding.”

“To allow California to move forward with many needed transportation projects will require Congress authorizing a well-funded, long-term surface transportation program so that state and local government can rely on continued federal investment in the nation’s transportation system to continue to support future economic growth and the quality of life in the state,” Wilkins concluded.

To learn more about TRIP and to find the study on San Diego’s roadways, visit tripnet.org.