CHEVY CHASE, Md. — Bad roads don鈥檛 only damage cars; they hurt drivers鈥� wallets.
A new report by the nonprofit transportation research group , which is funded by construction businesses and unions, finds that 28 percent of urban interstates and arteries are in 鈥減oor鈥� condition, costing drivers up to $1,000 a year in added maintenance costs.
The Federal Highway Administration describes roads as poor when they have cracked or broken pavement; they often have foundational problems, too.
The three big cities (defined as having a population of 500,000 or more) with the poorest roads were all in California — San Francisco, Los Angeles and Long Beach. Roughly three-quarters of the urban highways and arteries in those cities were in 鈥減oor鈥� condition. The Washington area checks in at 32 percent poor.
The report says the average driver pays an extra $516 in added car maintenance because of poor roads.
TRIP is pushing Congress to pass a highway funding bill before the end of the month.
