The Road Improvement Program’s “Conditions and Safety of New York’s Roads and Bridges” report shows that 37 percent of the state’s major locally and state-maintained urban roads and highways are in poor condition, and 39 percent of the locally and state-maintained bridges show “significant deterioration” and do not meet “current design standards.”
In addition to road and bridge conditions, the report looks at traffic safety, economic development and transportation funding in New York. It also includes regional reports for Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse.
“These conditions are only going to get worse if greater funding is not made available at the local, state and federal levels,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director. “Without additional transportation funds, the state’s pavement and bridge conditions will continue to decline, needed safety improvements will not be made, congestion will worsen and the state will lose out on opportunities for economic growth.”
Additional road data from the report:
- 43 percent of New York’s major urban roads have pavements in mediocre or fair condition
- 20 percent of the roads are in good condition
- $6.3 billion in additional vehicle operating costs to New York motorist due to rough rates, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, increased fuel consumption, and tire wear
Bridge data:
- 12 percent of the bridges are structurally deficient
- 27 percent are functionally obsolete
Traffic data:
- 0.92 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
- $550 billion in goods shipped out of the state per year
- $597 billion in goods are shipped to sites within the state per year
