Bay Area pavement conditions not improving, report shows

Pavement conditions for streets and roadways in the Bay Area are not improving despite the 2017 passage of Senate Bill 1, which increased gas taxes and established vehicle fees, data from 2017 through 2019 suggest.

In 2019, the Bay Area’s more than 43,000 lane-miles of streets and roads remained in “fair” condition, scoring a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 67, according to a report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission published in the fall. The region’s PCI score has remained at 67 each year since 2017, even following implementation of SB1, which established fuel taxes and vehicle fees to generate new funding for roadways, including up to $1.5 billion per year to counties and cities. A score of 67 means the typical stretch of asphalt in the region is showing serious wear and will likely require rehabilitation soon, according to the report.

In San Mateo County, the average PCI for city and county roadways remained at 72, or “good,” from 2017 through 2019, the report states.

MTC aims to boost the regional average PCI score to about 85 points, Commission Chair and Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty said in a statement. Haggerty said the infusion of SB1 gas tax revenue in recent years has helped prevent worsening road conditions. He added that “forward progress is slow and there’s still a long, steep climb to get where we want to be.”

For the 2017-19 period, Dublin led the Bay Area in pavement rankings with an average PCI score of 85, while Cupertino and Palo Alto  both achieved scores of 84.

Daly City scored the highest PCI in San Mateo County at 81, followed by Woodside at 80.

Petaluma scored the lowest-ranked PCI in the Bay Area for 2017-19 with 45, which is considered in the “poor” range. The only San Mateo County in the “poor” range was Pacifica’s pavement at 46.

Overall, the Bay Area’s pavement conditions have improved by four points since the early 2000s. But since 2015, the average score has remained 67, and previous to that the score was 66 annually since 2010. The slow progress, according to the MTC, underscores challenges faced by public works departments for cities and counties.

PCI scores of 90 or higher, or “excellent,” are newly built or resurfaced streets that show little or no distress. Those in the 80 to 89 range, or “very good,” show only slight or moderate distress, requiring primarily preventive maintenance. While 70 to 79 is considered a “good” range, roadways from 60 to 69 are “fair” and require rehabilitation to prevent rapid deterioration, according to MTC.

“Because major repairs cost five to 10 times more than routine maintenance, these streets are at an especially critical stage,” the agency said.

Roadways with PCI scores of 50 to 59 are deemed “at-risk,” those from 25 to 49 are considered “poor” and require major rehabilitation or reconstruction, and those below 25 are considered “failed.”

PCI scores for San Mateo County are listed below. Click here for more MTC data.