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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

April / May 2008

Facts & Figures
Region Holds Steady in Battle to Maintain Roadways;
Need for More Funding Urgent

The bad news: Pavement conditions on the Bay Area's more than 40,000 lane miles of local streets and roads earn only a “fair” grade in a recently released MTC report, with the typical stretch of asphalt being seriously worn and likely to require rehabilitation soon. The good news: Pavement conditions have been largely stable for the past several years, with the average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score over the 2004–2006 period rising a single point to a score of 64 out of a maximum possible 100 points from a three-year average of 63 points in 2003–2005.

“It's encouraging to see we're at least holding the line against the wear and tear caused by traffic, weather and time,” said MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger. “But there's a lot of work still to be done.” For quite a while, the region's average PCI score has been hovering close to 60, which is the point when pavement begins going downhill fast in the absence of preventive maintenance and rehabilitation.

Tellingly, no Bay Area city or county scored in the excellent range for 2004–2006 (meaning a PCI score of 90 or higher on a 100-point scale).

“This shows just how urgent the need for additional funding really is,” said Heminger. “The state gasoline tax traditionally has been the biggest source of funds for local street and road maintenance. But that tax has been the same 18 cents per gallon since 1994, and its purchasing power erodes each year.”
— John Goodwin

Top 10: Cities/Counties With Best Pavement

Rank Jurisdiction 2006 PCI Score
1 Brentwood
85
  Los Altos 85**
3 Contra Costa County 83
  Oakley 83
  City of Santa Clara 83
6 Foster City 82
  Gilroy 82**
8 Dixon 81
  Belvedere 81**
10 Sunnyvale 80
  Dublin 80
  City of Sonoma 80**

Notes for table:
* Figures represent the average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) for a three-year period ending in 2006. PCI: 90-100, excellent; 80-89, very good; 70-79, good; 60-69, fair; 50-59, at risk; 25-49, poor; below 25, failed.
** Data for 2006 was extrapolated from 2005 inspections.

See rankings for all Bay Area cities and counties at www.mtcpms.org.

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