TRIP report finds road and bridge conditions cost Connecticut drivers $5.1 billion

Connecticut welcome signThe Road Improvement Program’s (TRIP) latest roads report for Connecticut has determined that road and bridge conditions there cost motorists $5.1 billion related to vehicle operating costs, congestion and safety.

“Our congested roads and antiquated transportation system is creating real costs for drivers, families, and businesses in Connecticut,” says Connecticut State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk).

“Improving our transportation network is critically important to our economic future and our quality of life. The General Assembly is working to improve these conditions and this year made a once-in-a-generation investment in our transportation infrastructure. We must continue to invest at the local, state, and federal levels to make our roads safer, reduce traffic, and improve the lives of those using our roads.”

According to the report, the majority of these costs are in the congestion category, totaling $2.3 billion, following by vehicle operating costs at $1.6 billion and safety at $1.2 billion.

“There is no single solution to Connecticut’s congestion problem, but improving and increasing transit is a key component,” said Karen Burnaska, coordinator of Transit for Connecticut. “Investing in transit not only creates jobs, but transit also gets people to their jobs. More and better transit benefits the environment by reducing climate-warming emissions and gives residents the transportation options they need.”

Thirty-five percent of the state’s bridges don’t meet modern design standards or show “significant” deterioration, TRIP says. Twenty-six percent are functionally obsolete and 9 percent are structurally deficient.

For the state’s roads, TRIP finds that 33 percent of major locally and state-maintained urban roads are considered to be in poor condition. In the Hartford urban area alone, 72 percent of the major roads are poor or mediocre condition.

“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 funding Connecticut’s transportation system will become increasingly deteriorated and congested, the state will miss out on opportunities for economic growth and quality of life will suffer.”