New York Roads and Bridges Desperately Need Investment

Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost New York motorists a total of $26 billion statewide annually – as much as $2,959 per driver in some urban areas – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays.

Increased investment in transportation improvements at the local, state and federal levels could relieve traffic congestion, improve road, bridge and transit conditions, boost safety and support long-term economic growth in New York, according to a new report released by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation research nonprofit.

The TRIP report, “New York Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe, Smooth and Efficient Mobility,” finds that throughout New York, nearly half of major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition, 10% of locally and state-maintained bridges (20 ft. or more in length) are rated poor/structurally deficient, and 5,127 people lost their lives on the state’s roads from 2014-2018. 

New York’ major urban roads are congested, causing significant delays and choking commuting and commerce. The TRIP report includes regional pavement and bridge conditions, congestion data, highway safety data, and cost breakdowns for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, Binghamton, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York-Newark-Jersey City, Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica urban areas and statewide.

Driving on deficient New York State roads costs the state’s drivers a total of $26 billion per year in the form of extra vehicle operating costs (VOC) as a result of driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, and the costs of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features likely were a contributing factor. 

The TRIP report finds that 25% of major locally and state-maintained roads in New York State are in poor condition and another 22% are in mediocre condition, costing the state’s motorists an additional $7.2 billion each year in extra VOC, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear. Sixteen percent of New York’ major roads are in fair condition and the remaining 37% are in good condition.

“Infrastructure in our state is critical to the economy,” said New York State Assemblymember John T. McDonald III. “Investments in our public infrastructure create good jobs and make our roadways safer. This newest report from TRIP has highlighted the importance of the need for increased investment in our state’s aging roads and bridges. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on solutions to addressing these issues.”

Congested roads choke commuting and commerce and cost New York State drivers $14.2 billion each year in the form of lost time and wasted fuel. In the most congested urban areas, drivers lose up to $1,947 and as many as 92 hours per year sitting in congestion. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, vehicle travel in the state dropped by as much as 45% in April 2020 (as compared to vehicle travel during the same month the previous year), but rebounded to 10% below the previous year’s volume in Sept. 2020.

“I want to thank TRIP for this valuable report. There is no question that we need greater investment in our transportation infrastructure,” said New York State Assemblymember William Magnarelli. “Infrastructure investment should be a top priority of both New York State and the new federal administration. Capital spending on roads and bridges creates jobs in construction and will support the economy as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. I look forward to supporting these efforts in the coming legislative session and State Budget negotiations.”

“Once again the facts contained in this report speak for themselves,” said Mark Eagan, president and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber. “As we look to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is of the utmost importance that elected officials make increased funding for transportation infrastructure a top priority. Without it, our region’s economy will suffer and our recovery will be stalled.”

Statewide, 10% of New York’ bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient, with significant deterioration to the bridge deck, supports or other major components. Fifty-four percent of the state’s bridges are rated in fair condition and the remaining 36% are in good condition.

“As an advocate for traffic safety, AAA supports initiatives to provide safe roads and bridges for all motorists. The TRIP findings reinforce the need for a long-term transportation reauthorization bill in 2021 that would provide increased federal funding for New York and the nation’s infrastructure as a whole,” said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations at AAA Western and Central New York. “AAA urges Congress and the incoming administration to prioritize transportation investments to ensure safe, efficient and reliable mobility here in New York and across the country.”

Traffic crashes in New York claimed the lives 5,127 people between 2014 and 2018. New York’s overall traffic fatality rate of 0.76 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in 2018 is lower than the national average of 1.13. Traffic crashes imposed a total of $13.8 billion in economic costs in New York in 2018, and traffic crashes in which a lack of adequate roadway safety features were likely a contributing factor imposed $4.6 billion in economic costs.

“With the deterioration of so many roads and bridges causing business and industry billions of dollars in increased costs per year, we appreciate the continued focus on this issue in the TRIP report,” said Johnny Evers, senior director of government affairs for the Business Council of New York State. “It is only through careful study that New York State and the nation can address this problem. We hope the thoroughness of this study will lead to the change necessary to fix this ongoing business concern.”

The efficiency and condition of New York’ transportation system, particularly its highways, is critical to the health of the state’s economy. Annually, $1.3 trillion in goods are shipped to and from New York, relying heavily on the state’s network of roads and bridges. Increasingly, companies are looking at the quality of a region’s transportation system when deciding where to re-locate or expand. 

Regions with congested or poorly maintained roads may see businesses relocate to areas with a smoother, more efficient and more modern transportation system. The design, construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure in New York supports approximately 319,000 full-time jobs across all sectors of the state economy. Approximately 3.5 million full-time jobs in New York in key industries like tourism, retail sales, agriculture and manufacturing are dependent on the quality, safety and reliability of the state’s transportation infrastructure network.

“These conditions are only going to get worse, increasing the additional costs to motorists, if greater investment is not made available at the federal, state and local levels of government,” said Dave Kearby, TRIP’s executive director. “Without adequate funding, New York’s transportation system will become increasingly deteriorated and congested, hampering economic growth, safety and quality of life.”

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