LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Driving on California roads that are deteriorated, congested, and that lack some desirable safety features costs drivers in the western U.S. state a total of 61 billion U.S. dollars each year, according to a new report.
The report released on Wednesday by a nonprofit transportation group, the National Transportation Research Group (TRIP), noted that California will need to modernize its surface transportation system by improving the physical condition of its transportation network and enhancing the system's ability to provide efficient, safe and reliable mobility for residents, visitors and businesses.
The study found that 68 percent of major roads and highways in California are in poor or mediocre condition costing a total of 22.1 billion dollars statewide which means an extra 843 dollars annually in additional vehicle operating costs for a driver as a result of driving on rough roads.
Congested roads choke commuting and commerce and cost California drivers 29.1 billion dollars each year in the form of lost time and wasted fuel. Eighty-five percent of California's urban Interstates are congested. In the most congested areas, drivers lose up to 1,774 dollars and spend nearly three and a half full days each year in congestion, said the study.
Over the last five years, a total of 15,730 people were killed in California traffic crashes, an average of 3,146 fatalities per year. Traffic crashes in which roadway features were likely a contributing factor imposed 9.8 billion dollars in economic costs in 2016, according to the study.
The study also found that 56 percent of California's bridges are at least 50 years old and more than 1,500 bridges (20 feet or longer) in the state are structurally deficient.
The study concluded that 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.
