California's Central Valley Has Some of the Worst Roads in the USA
Central Valley drivers might feel their heated complaints about all the potholes on local roads get ignored, but now they have some research to back them up.
A recent study found that California roads might be the worst in the country. And backing up many drivers’ opinions on our pavement, several local cities got failing grades in a national report card.
CoPilot used data collected by the Federal Highway Administration to rank urban areas across the country with the worst road conditions. Their findings earned our local roads a lot of unwanted attention. On the map, Highway 99 (SR99) through Central Valley draws a convenient line to highlight the biggest problem area in perhaps all of California.
California’s Road Condition Rankings
On a list of mid-sized urban areas, two local cities got shameful marks. Modesto ranked fifth in the U.S for damaged roads. A shocking 41% of Modesto roads were judged to be in poor condition.
The city just down Highway 99 lined up right behind Modesto on the list. Fresno was sixth in the country with 38% of its major roads listed in substandard conditions. For perspective, CoPilot determined that the national average of roads in poor condition is around 26%. Concord, California ranked number one on the list of mid-sized urban areas. Stockton was just outside the top ten.
When researchers focused on the highways and byways of small cities and towns in Central Valley things got even worse. Merced ranked number one on the list of small urban areas with bad roads. That’s across the entire country! The tiny Merced and its highways handily beat out cities like Boulder, Colorado, Trenton, New Jersey, and Topeka, Kansas.
In fact, smaller California cities made up the top six on the list. Santa Cruz and Monterrey got a failing grade. Several communities around San Francisco ranked poorly as well.
Big cities didn’t help the grading curve on this road report card either. The top three worst major cities for potholes and other hazards were all in the Golden State. San Francisco-Oakland came in at number one with an astounding 71% of major roads labeled as in substandard conditions. San Jose was second. Los Angeles came in third. San Diego was in at eighth. Sacramento just missed the top ten, it was graded as having the 11th worst roads across the country, with almost 40% of its streets listed as in poor condition.
Growing Hazards and Road Repairs
California by far had the most cities of all sizes making each top 15 list for subpar road conditions. With the Central Valley prominent on those counts, it can make residents wonder when relief is coming.
There is, however, a ray of hope. State construction crews were getting more work done during the pandemic with fewer accidents and drivers on the road. The freeways were so empty at times road construction and repair work could be completed during the day. That means more paving work that requires warmer temperatures can move forward faster.
According to Rideshare Law Office, there are many more delivery drivers hitting the streets in California. The added pressure from rideshare services like Uber and Lyft certainly add to the wear and tear. Delivery trucks and heavy farm traffic can also take their toll on surfaces over the years.
Bad Roads and Pedestrian Hazards
These hazards can extend to the sidewalks as well. A driver swerving around a massive pothole may fail to see a pedestrian walking along the street or trying to cross. A tragic collision may be the result. According to a study, pedestrians face many dangers around Fresno. Charting accidents around the city, The Highway/Route 99 corridor again came up as a big problem. The highway was the number one location around Fresno for pedestrian fatalities.
Better Road Conditions for Central Valley
One thing is clear, damaged, crumbling streets, roads, and highways are more than just a nuisance. These infrastructure problems lead to millions of dollars in vehicle damage each year. And that’s of small concern when compared to the potential of a bad road sending a car out of control and into a crash. The human toll of injury and even the potential of loss of life is the greatest concern of all. Central Valley drivers deserve better than “worst in the country.” They deserve repairs and upgrades at every exit and intersection and soon.