Transpo Report Says 34 Percent of Dallas, Fort Worth Roads Are "Poor." Could Be Worse?

Many thanks to the Friend of Unfair Park who forwarded along this just-released report from TRIP, a D.C.-based transportation research group: Hold the Wheel Steady: America's Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother. Says the study, which paints a grim picture of the bumpy road ahead, out of...

By Robert Wilonsky

September 22, 2010

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Many thanks to the Friend of Unfair Park who forwarded along this just-released report from TRIP, a D.C.-based transportation research group: Hold the Wheel Steady: America's Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother. Says the study, which paints a grim picture of the bumpy road ahead, out of the Top 20 urban regions with populations greater than 500 thou, Dallas-Fort Worth ranks last on the "poor condition" list of shite streets -- 34 percent versus San Jose, California's, chart-busting 64 percent. But if you dig a little deeper and you'll find that only 13 percent of our local thoroughfares qualify as "good"; survey says 20 percent rate as "fair," while 33 percent go the "medium" route.

TRIP, using Federal Highway Administration data, also delivers one more significant stat: vehicle operating cost -- or the price motorists pay for driving on roads both piss and poor. Dallas-Fort Worth residents' expenditures come in at No. 18, between San Antonio and Detroit, at $539. Which is still well above the national average of $402. But I hear today's tax hike will fix everything.

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