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Study finds many Bay Area roads are at risk of deterioration: How does your city rank?

Study finds many Bay Area roads are at risk of deterioration: How does your city rank?

Oakland California pothole file.

An annual assessment of road conditions in the Bay Area reveals what many motorists in the region may already know: Much of the area’s asphalt is seriously deteriorated and will likely soon require repairs.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) recently released its Pavement Condition Index (PCI) for 2023, and only six Bay Area jurisdictions received a “very good” rating.

MTC’s analysis covered more than 44,000 lane miles, rating city and county roads on a 100-point scale. Estimates were based on a three-year rolling average.

The agency said various factors were taken into account, including the age of the road surface, climate and precipitation, traffic load and available maintenance funding.

No neighborhoods received a PCI rating of 90 or higher, ratings are considered in the “excellent” range, with little disruption to newly built or renovated streets.

MTC officials said roads in North Bay have seen the biggest improvements compared to previous years.

The highest scores on the index were in the “very good” category and ranged from 80 to 89 points. The MTC described these roads as having “only mild to moderate damage, requiring primarily preventative maintenance.”

Six jurisdictions were rated “very good” based on a three-year rolling average:

  • Larkspur (83)
  • Orinda (83)
  • Palo Alto (83)
  • Cupertino (82)
  • Hillsboro (81)
  • Solano County (81)

Larkspur took first place as the North Bay city increased its yearly score by four points, according to MTC.

“As recently as 2017, Larkspur recorded annual assessments in the ‘poor’ range, but has twice in recent years passed local sales tax measures aimed at restoring 65 miles of city street lanes,” the agency noted.

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48 locations were rated “good” with PCI scores ranging from 70 to 79.

MTC said San Jose, with nearly 4,500 lane miles, making it the jurisdiction with the largest street network in the region, moved up in the rankings to be in the “good” range. The city’s three-year rolling average increased two points from 69 between 2020 and 2022.

San Francisco’s three-year moving average remained steady at 74 last year.

Other notable jurisdictions include Cotati in Sonoma County, which rose eight points to 74 (good) last year from 66 (fair) in 2022, bringing the three-year rolling average to 69.

Moraga, from Contra Costa County, posted a five-point gain to 76 points, bringing her average to 73.

MTC described streets with PCI ratings of 60 to 69 in the “fair” range.

These were worn roads that would likely require repairs soon to prevent rapid deterioration.

“Since major repairs cost 5-10 times more than current maintenance, these streets are in particularly critical condition,” the Ministry of Transport and Communications said.

While Auckland’s three-year rolling average improved to 57, up three points, the city’s annual ranking fell one point to 56 in 2022, MTC said.

19 jurisdictions were considered “at risk”, receiving a score in the 50 point range.

Four communities received the lowest scores, with PCI scores ranging from 25 to 49, all of which are considered to have “poor” road conditions.

They were:

  • Napa County (48)
  • Petaluma (48)
  • Pacifica (47)
  • Vallejo (45)

MTC said Petaluma saw the largest single-year increase in PCI of any Bay Area jurisdiction last year, receiving a score of 55 (at risk), up 12 points from 2022’s 43 (poor). moving average 48.

No city or county failed with scores below 25.

The MTC ranking also broke down road surface conditions by county, with San Francisco topping the list.

Here’s a look at how nine Bay Area counties scored:

  1. San Francisco: 74
  2. Santa Clara: 71
  3. San Mateo: 70
  4. Contra Costa: 68
  5. Alameda: 67
  6. Marin: 66
  7. Solano: 65
  8. Sonoma: 57
  9. Napa: 54

Although Napa County was at the bottom, there were improvements that MTC officials viewed as an “encouraging sign.”

Last year, the district moved up seven spots in the annual rankings to score 52 points.

“The good news is that the city and county public works teams were able to prevent large-scale deterioration of the situation,” said MTC Chairman and Napa County Executive Alfredo Pedrosa. “The bad news is that there’s more to come.”

Overall, the Bay Area received a PCI score of 67, which officials said is close to the 60-point threshold “at which deterioration rapidly accelerates.”