Houston roads not as bad as we think

Houston’s roads take a pounding from local drivers not only in actuality, but also in popularity, with many drivers disgusted or enraged with the region’s poor roads, especially in older parts of the city.

A national ranking of roads, however, has given Houston so-so marks for its freeways, highways and thoroughfares — all the major roads in the region. According to TRIP, a national research group that tracks road conditions using federal data, Houston doesn’t even crack the top 20 in its latest ranking, released last week. The region was 34th out of 70 metropolitan areas with a population more than 500,000, when all poor and mediocre roads are considered.

Three California metro areas — San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Jose — topped the list for terrible roads. In San Francisco, more than 70 percent of local roads are in poor condition. That compares to the region with the fewest bad roads, Jacksonville, where only 4 percent of roads were assessed in poor condition.

San Francisco was again the worst place for smooth roads, with Boston and Tulsa not far behind. Nashville had the most roads outside the poor and mediocre categories.

San Antonio, meanwhile, ranked eighth nationally and had the worst score of any metro area in Texas with 83 percent of its roads in poor or mediocre condition. Houston scored the second-worst score in Texas, with 60 percent of roads in disrepair.

The ranking is conducted annually by TRIP, using Federal Highway Administration scoring. It comes with a big caveat in grading Houston’s roads, however. Federal officials assess major roads, meaning the scoring would not include many of the minor streets where Houstonians experience potholes, chipped concrete panels and some of the other challenges they face along their routes.

Regardless of exactly which roads are included, TRIP’s report consistently shows the cost to drivers because of bad roads is increasing. The agency estimates “driving on roads in need of repair costs the average driver $523 annually in extra vehicle operating costs — $112 billion nationwide.”

In Houston, officials estimate drivers spend about $580 annually because of bad roads.