With the vote on California’s biggest transportation spending plan in nearly 25 years to fix its crumbling roads just over a month away, a new analysis shows streets in the Bay Area are slowly getting smoother with fewer potholes.
The annual pothole report released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission gives cities in the nine counties a score of 67 — putting the region’s 43,000 lane miles in the fair category but needing major rehabilitation to prevent rapid deterioration. That’s the same ranking as last year and slightly higher than in 2003.
But its far lower than the goal of 85 which is considered “very good,” where streets are only in moderate distress requiring much cheaper preventive maintenance.
Dublin (85) and Palo Alto (85) own the smoothest streets. Among the region’s three largest cities, San Francisco last year entered the “good” category by raising its score from 68 to 70, while San Jose (64) and Oakland (55) remained in the “fair” and “at-risk” spots, respectively.
“It’s good to see the needle move in the right direction,” said MTC Chair Jake Mackenzie and a Rohnert Park councilmember. “The typical Bay Area street is still pretty worn and likely to soon need some serious work.”
Other cities in the “very good” range include Clayton and El Cerrito (84); Brentwood, and Colma (83); Foster City (82); Daly City, Union City and unincorporated Solano County (81); and San Ramon (80).
The most potholed riddled town again is Larkspur, which recorded a score of 42. Others in the “poor” range include Petaluma (46) and unincorporated Sonoma County (49).
About one-third of the paved lane miles in the nine-county region are in very good shape. Another one-third falls in the “good” or “fair” ranges, while the final third is classified as “at-risk,” “poor” or “failed.”
A year ago the Legislature approved hiking the state gas tax by 12 cents a gallon and other related auto fees to raise $5.4 billion a year for transportation upgrades. But opponents want to repeal it with Proposition 6 in November.
Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said there is already enough money to fix our roads “but political elites and special interests wanted another blank check from California taxpayers.”
“For now, they have it. But come November, voters might tear up that check by repealing these burdensome tax hikes.”
If repealed, MTC said the region would need to almost double current maintenance expenditures to nearly $1 billion annually. Some funds have been spent to repave various streets like Payne Avenue in West San Jose and Great America Parkway in Santa Clara with El Camino Real on the to-do list.
Bob Young of San Jose had two words for the resurfacing on Payne Avenue: “Wow! Gorgeous!”
“The previously tired, jaw-chattering, bumpy road is now smooth and quiet,” he said.
Oakland is using money from the gas taxes to hire 20 workers for street maintenance as well as acquiring new equipment, plus paving E 16th Street between 35th and 37th Avenues for the first time since before 1960 and Golf Links Road, between Fontaine and 98th Avenue, for the first time since 2004.
PAVING POTHOLES
The 2017 pavement conditions summary can be found here
