The news that California’s roads and streets are in serious disrepair might not be new to those who travel on them every day. But it might be alarming to hear that according to a new transportation report released last month, more that 80 percent could soon be headed towards failure.
The biennial California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment was developed by state regional planning agencies in conjunction with the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities.
Culver City Public Works Director Charles Herbertson is on the league’s state oversight committee and thinks the study’s release comes at a critical time for state legislators as well as municipal leaders who will be in charge of making funding decisions regarding roadways.
For anyone who uses local streets and state highways, they can see “the gradual deterioration of streets and roads. The longer we wait [to repair them], the cost is going to go up and the deeper the hole we’ll dig ourselves into,” Herbertson told the News. According to the report, on a scale of 100 to zero, with zero being a failed roadway, the state’s streets score a 66, which falls into the “at risk” category. “Culver City’s streets and roads are about on par with the state average,’ Herbertson said. “We’re pretty representative of what’s going on in the state.”
One difference in this year’s review was the decision to include the condition of municipal thoughfares as well as state highways.
“We felt that we should address them so the public can see and understand what happening locally,” Herbertson explained.
“Every trip begins on a local road and street. Local roadway networks in good repair are essential for safe and efficient for multi-modal transportation in communities across the state,” the report states.
Herbertson says the study, which can be found at www.save-Californiastreets.org also includes the conditions of municipal streets throughout the state.
A reduction in the funding mechanisms for roads has led to a surfeit of deferred maintenance on the state’s roadways. For several years, the state’s gasoline tax was one source of revenue that was used to help pay for necessary infrastructure improvements.
“The gas tax has been stagnant for a number of years, and that has deprived cities of a revenue stream for streets and roads,” Herbertson said.
“The state gas tax is only worth half of its value compared to when it was last increased in 1994. While revenues are decreasing, cities and counties are doing more with less, reducing greenhouse gas admissions and building sustainable communities, both of which rely on a functioning local transportation network,” added California State Associations of Counties Executive Director Matthew Cate. “It is no wonder that funding is woefully inadequate.
“It is time to get for local streets, roads and bridges so we can begin to catch up on a backlog of work that should have been completed long ago.”
The total funding needs over the next 10 years is $108 billion, and the resulting shortfall is $56.1 billion for pavements, $20.9 billion for essential components and $1.3 billion for bridges. The total shortfall is $78.3 billion over the next 10 years.
Herbertson said the public’s awareness is heightened when incidents such as the three incidents on Sunset Boulevard recently, where water mains burst and caused traffic snarls for days. “Those types of dramatic events illustrate how our infrastructure has deteriorated,” he said.
For League of Cities Executive Director Chris McKenzie, the report reconfirm that all car trips begin locally. “Our local streets and roads serve as the backbone of California’s entire transportation system. The continual deterioration of this system not only threatens the safety of all Californians but also our economy,” McKenzie said. “We need to invest in our streets and roads and ensure California’s high quality of living spark new innovations and promote sustainability for the future.”
Herbertson agrees with the report’s assessment that the state’s transportation routesincluding Culver City’s – require attention sooner rather than later. “I would say [the statistics in the review] are definitely cause for concern and we need to start looking for ways to do a better job of just treading water and not allow these conditions to deteriorate any further,” he concluded. “We are quickly approaching the edge of the cliff.”