Approximately one in four miles of the nation's major metropolitan roads - interstates, freeways and other critical local routes - have pavements in substandard condition, resulting in rough rides and costing the average metro area motorist $400 annually in additional vehicle operating costs, according to a report by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation research group. So how did the roads in Phoenix rate? Let's see....

The study was entitled, "Rough Ride Ahead: Metro Areas with the Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make Our Roads Smoother." It indicates that ten large metro areas (500,000 people or more) with the highest percentage of major roads and highways with unacceptable pavement quality are (worst listed first):

Kansas City
San Jose
St. Louis
Los Angeles
San Francisco-Oakland
San Diego
New Orleans
Boston
Sacramento
Oklahoma City

Pavement conditions on the nation's major urban roads and highways have worsened in recent years. Continued increases in urban traffic cause significant wear and tear on the nation's urban roads. Overall travel on urban roads increased by 41 percent from 1990 to 2003. Large trucks place significant stress on road surfaces. Overall vehicle travel is expected to increase by approximately 40 percent by the year 2020 and the level of heavy truck travel nationally is projected to increase by approximately 47 percent by the year 2020.

Studies also show that driving on roads in disrepair increases consumer costs by accelerating vehicle deterioration, increasing the frequency of needed maintenance, and increasing fuel consumption. The metro areas where motorists pay the most annually in additional vehicle maintenance because of substandard roads are:

San Jose - $689
Kansas City - $689
Los Angeles - $671
St. Louis - $669
San-Francisco-Oakland - $656
Oklahoma City - $636
San Diego - $623
Sacramento - $593
New Orleans - $576
Tulsa - $573.

While a desirable goal for state and local governments is to maintain 75 percent of its roads in good condition, only three metro areas achieve this goal:

Atlanta
Orlando

and

Phoenix

This information was provided by The Road Information Program ("TRIP"). Founded in 1971, TRIP is a nonprofit organization that promotes transportation policies that relieve traffic congestion, improve air quality, make highway travel safer and enhance economic productivity.

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