New York motorists lose $28 billion statewide annually because of deteriorated and congested roads and bridges and a lack of some desirable safety features, according to a recent report by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation research nonprofit.
Losses average as much as $3,192 per driver in some urban areas and are attributed to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes, and congestion-related delays.
The organization examined data on highway safety, congestion, statewide and regional pavement and bridge conditions, and cost breakdowns for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, Binghamton, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York-Newark-Jersey City, Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica urban areas.
It discovered 19 percent of major locally- and state-maintained roads are in mediocre condition, and 26 percent are in poor condition. These roads cost the state’s motorists an additional $7.7 billion annually in extra vehicle operating costs related to tire wear, increased fuel consumption, additional repair costs, and accelerated vehicle depreciation.
In addition, 10 percent of locally and state-maintained bridges 20 feet or more in length are rated poor/structurally deficient, 36 percent are in good condition, and 54 percent are in fair condition.
Congested roads cost $15.4 billion annually and as many as 92 hours per driver in lost time.