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A recent study of the 43,000 miles of road found in the Bay Area — almost double the distance it takes to circumnavigate the globe — has recognized Tri-Valley communities as having some of the best maintained and highest quality streets in the region.
Released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the aptly titled “Pothole Report” analyzed the quality and maintenance efforts of the region’s nine counties and 101 cities, and found that San Ramon and Danville both outscored the regional average by a significant margin.
Achieving a pavement condition index (PCI) rating of 80 out of a perfect 100, the 498 miles of roadway found in San Ramon handily outscored the regional rating of 67 PCI and received the distinction of having the 11th best streets in the Bay. San Ramon’s score was followed by Danville’s rating of 77 PCI, which is good enough for the 19th spot.
It should be noted that while the region’s 67 PCI may not seem high, it is a marked improvement from 2003’s ranking of 63.
“MTC’s goal is to bring all of the Bay Area’s transportation assets into a state of good repair,” MTC Chair Jake Mackenzie said in a statement. “For local streets and roads, that would mean boosting the regional average PCI score to about 85 points. So it’s good to see the needle move in the right direction, and to see it moving faster now that cities and counties are receiving new gas tax money and other funds from last year’s Senate Bill 1 transportation package. But the typical Bay Area street is still pretty worn and likely to soon need some serious work.”
A municipality’s PCI is calculated by analyzing pavement age, regional climate, traffic congestion and available maintenance funding. Cities with new housing developments and new streets may have a high overall PCI, while older, urbanized municipalities may have a much lower PCI, even though both are practicing pavement preservation.
Contra Costa County’s combined average score of 71 was good enough for the third best county rating in the bay, only falling behind San Francisco County 74 PCI, and San Mateo, 72 PCI. Martinez was the lowest rated Contra Costa municipality, scoring 51 PCI.
Neighboring Dublin received the highest rating in the Bay Area reporting a rating of 85 PCI. Pleasanton also fared well achieving 79 PCI for the 15th best streets. Pleasanton and Dublin helped bring up the relatively low Alameda county rating of 68, which is dragged down significantly by Oakland’s low rating of 55 PCI
The lowest-ranked Bay Area streets can be found in the Marin County city of Larkspur, which recorded a PCI score of 42.
In this year’s study, the MTC took time to acknowledge the overall rating decreases of road quality should Senate Bill 1 — the Road Repair and Accountability Act — be repealed by voters in November, claiming that the estimated $5.4 billion-per-year loss in maintenance funding may lead to a 10 point decrease over as many years.
“The typical Bay Area street is still pretty worn and likely to soon need some serious work. I hope voters will keep streets and roads in mind when they consider Proposition 6 on the November ballot,” Mackenzie said.
Nice but no cigar. Even El Cerrito has PCI of 85 and is among the top 3 Cities in the Bay area. Before we pat ourselves on the back, let’s ask what plans our Public works Director has for improving the city’s “pothole” index. Shouldn’t a relatively wealthy City such as San Ramon be in the top 3?
While I don’t disagree that San Ramon can do better, it all comes down to what are the priorities? El Cerito has much higher income from sales tax per capita.
So, where do we want to put our limited funds? Police, Parks, Pavement?
Steve, Limited funds? Well all fund are limited in some way but San Ramon has swelled in size to become a major tri-valley community with tax revenues soaring as well. The new City Center also generates more than enough tax revenue to fix roads, install bike lanes, make this community a safer place to live.