New study shows poor road conditions cost Maryland drivers billions each year
Poor road conditions cost Maryland drivers $12B each year: report
Maryland drivers are losing about $12 billion a year on the roads, according to a new study by the national transportation research nonprofit TRIP. So how much of that cash is coming from your pocket?
MARYLAND - Maryland drivers are losing about $12 billion a year on the roads, according to a new study by the national transportation research nonprofit TRIP. So how much of that cash is coming from your pocket?
We already know it's expensive owning a car — paying for insurance, filling up on gas, going through tolls — but this recent study looks at all the other hidden costs of driving.
By the numbers:
Nearly half — 49 percent — of the major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition and five percent of Maryland’s bridges — 250 of 5,484 bridges — are rated in poor or structurally deficient condition. That's all putting extra wear and tear on your car leading to more repairs.
Driving on rough roads costs the average Maryland driver $843 annually in additional vehicle operating costs, which is a total of $3.7 billion statewide.
"The report finds that the overall cost of the average motorist in the Maryland suburbs of the Washington D.C. area is $3,464 per driver," said Rocky Moretti, Director of policy and research for TRIP.
And as we are almost back to pre-COVID commuting levels, traffic congestion is costing on average 86 hours of your time and 31 gallons of fuel.
What Can We Do?:
Road improvements are paid for by local, state and federal governments.
In 2021, a five-year federal surface transportation program was put in place that increased funding for road repairs by 30 percent but the inflation rate of highway construction since it was passed is at 46 percent, limiting its effectiveness.
The study found that too often, road repairs are being put off which, in the long run, ends up costing four times as much.