Many Bay Area roads at risk of deterioration, study finds: How does your city rank?

SAN FRANCISCO - An annual assessment of the road conditions in the Bay Area suggests what many motorists in the region may already know: Much of the area's asphalt has sustained serious wear and will likely need repair soon.  

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) recently released its Pavement Condition Index (PCI) for 2023, and only six Bay Area jurisdictions received a "very good" rating. 

The MTC's analysis covered more than 44,000 lane miles, rating city and county roads on a 100-point scale. The scores were based on a three-year moving average. 

The agency said a variety of factors were taken into account including the age of pavement, climate and precipitation, traffic loads, and available funding for maintenance.

No areas received a PCI of 90 or higher, a rating considered in the "excellent" range, with newly built or resurfaced streets that show little or no distress.

MTC officials said roads in the North Bay saw the biggest improvements from previous years. 

The highest scores achieved in the index were in the "very good" category, which ranged from 80 to 89 points. The MTC described those as having roads showing "only slight or moderate distress, requiring primarily preventive maintenance."

The six jurisdictions rated "very good," based on a three-year moving average were: 

• Larkspur (83)
• Orinda (83)
• Palo Alto (83)
• Cupertino (82)
• Hillsborough (81)
• Solano County (81) 

Larkspur's tied spot for first was notable as the North Bay city increased its one-year score by four points, according to the MTC.

"Larkspur as recently as 2017 registered one-year scores in the ‘poor’ range but twice in recent years passed local sales tax measures dedicated to rehabilitating the city’s 65 lane-miles of streets," the agency noted. 

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48 locations received a "good" rating, with PCI scores ranging from 70 to 79. 

The MTC said that San Jose, with almost 4,500 lane-miles, making it the jurisdiction with the largest street network in the region, moved up the rankings to land itself in the "good" range. The city’s three-year moving average gained two points from 69 in the 2020-22 period. 

San Francisco’s three-year moving average held steady at 74 last year. 

Other notable jurisdictions included Cotati, in Sonoma County, which rose eight points to 74 (good) last year from 66 (fair) in 2022, bringing its three-year moving average to 69.

Moraga, in Contra Costa County, recorded a five-point increase to 76 points, bringing the average to 73. 

The MTC described streets with PCI scores in the 60 to 69 range in the "fair" range. 

Those were worn roads that were likely to require repair soon to prevent rapid deterioration. 

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

While Oakland’s three-year moving average improved to 57, rising by three points, the city’s single-year score fell by a point to 56 in 2022, MTC officials said.

19 jurisdictions were deemed "at-risk," getting a score in the 50s range.

The lowest scores with a PCI ranging from 25 to 49, went to four locations, all deemed as having "poor" road conditions. 

They were: 

• Napa County (48)
• Petaluma (48)
• Pacifica (47)
• Vallejo (45)

The MTC said that Petaluma saw the biggest one-year PCI gains of any Bay Area jurisdiction last year, earning a score of 55 (at-risk), up 12 points from 43 (poor) in 2022. That led to a thee-year moving average of 48.

No cities or counties failed with scores below 25.

The MTC’s rating also broke down pavement conditions by counties, with San Francisco topping the list. 

Here’s a look at how the Bay Area's nine counties scored:

1. San Francisco: 74
2. Santa Clara: 71
3. San Mateo: 70
4. Contra Costa: 68
5. Alameda: 67
6. Marin: 66
7. Solano: 65
8. Sonoma: 57
9. Napa: 54

While Napa County landed at the bottom, there have been improvements, which MTC officials saw as "an encouraging sign." 

The county moved up seven points in the one-year score to earn 52 points last year. 

"The good news is that city and county public works teams have been able to prevent large-scale deterioration," said MTC Chair and Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza. "The bad news is there’s still so far to go."

Overall, the Bay Area received a 67 PCI score, which officials said was close to the 60-point threshold "at which deterioration accelerates rapidly."