ALBUQUERQUE, 
N.M. – Failing roads in Albuquerque can cost drivers up to $669 in extra vehicle repair and maintenance expense each year.
That’s according to a report from TRIP, a transportation research group.
Carolyn Kelly, associate director of research and communications with TRIP, says the report also shows that 32 percent of urban roadways in Albuquerque are in poor condition. She says tire damage from potholes, glass damage from rocks and extra fuel expense from congestion are major problems with a far-reaching economic impact.
“Oftentimes when companies are looking to either expand or relocate,” she says. “The condition of the transportation system is one of the most important things they consider when they’re looking to move or expand, or rebuild somewhere.”
Kelly says a big part of the problem is cities and counties struggle to maintain crumbling infrastructure with limited funding provided through the gas tax via the state and federal governments.
Kelly says another problem is that Congress does not have a long-term transportation bill in place, which likely is stalling road projects across the country.
“Without that long-term, multi-year bill in place, states don’t have a good grasp on what kind of funding they can expect from the federal government,” she says. “Which makes them reluctant to proceed with large-scale, long-term projects that would be reliant on federal funding.”
According to the TRIP report, bad roads in Los Angeles and San Francisco cost drivers more than a $1,000 a year in extra expenses.
