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Report: SoCal Roads Ranked Most Deteriorated In America

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Major roadways in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana region are the most deteriorated among the nation's largest cities, according to a report.

KNX 1070's Jon Baird says the report warns road conditions in the Southland, which currently cost drivers more than $800 per year, could deteriorate further if federal and state lawmakers fail to act.

Report: SoCal Roads Ranked Most Deteriorated In America

Researchers with Washington, D.C-based TRIP, a national transportation research group, found 64 percent of major roads in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana urban area are in poor condition, costing area drivers $832 each year in additional vehicle operating costs.

The report, "Bumpy Roads Ahead: America's Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother," ranks Los Angeles first among large U.S. cities with populations of 500,000 or more people in both the percentage of roads in poor condition and in the annual cost to motorists driving on rough roads.

Driving on roads in disrepair increases consumer costs by accelerating vehicle deterioration and depreciation and increasing needed maintenance, fuel consumption and tire wear, according to the report.

And with federal funding for the region's highways expected to be cut dramatically next October unless Congress approves additional revenues, Will Kempton, Executive Director of Transportation California, said the impact could grow exponentially.

"Without a significant boost in transportation funding at the federal, state and local level, conditions will continue to deteriorate, drivers will continue to pay the price, and our economy will suffer," Kempton said.

The region's "car culture" helped propel two other Southern California cities to spots on the list of worst roads in the nation: San Diego was ranked No. 5 with additional vehicle operating costs of $758, while the Riverside-San Bernardino region was named the 13th worst with additional vehicle operating costs of $638.

Local drivers were mostly unsurprised by the report's findings.

"You see it, you feel it, people damage their cars," said one woman.

Click here (PDF) to read the full "Bumpy Roads Ahead: America's Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother" report.

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