Deteriorated, congested roads in Colorado are costing drivers here an extra $7.1 billion a year in car repairs, lost time and gas due to congestion, and expenses related to traffic crashes. That’s according to a new reportjust released Thursday by the national transportation research group TRIP.
Report author Carolyn Bonifas Kelly said the price tag for an individual driver in Colorado Springs amounts to $1,940. In Pueblo, the additional cost per driver amounts to $1,566.
Of the five metropolitan areas evaluated in the report, roads in Pueblo are in the worst condition with 72 percent of all surfaces rated as either mediocre or poor. Pueblo also has the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges at 11 percent.
Drivers in Denver spend the most time stuck traffic, averaging 52 hours per year. Colorado Springs drivers have the second longest wait at an average 37 hours per year.
The report concludes that substantial investments by federal, state and local governments will be necessary to both improve the condition of our existing roads and bridges and to expand that infrastructure to accommodate future growth.
"If Colorado is unable to complete needed transportation projects it will hamper the state’s ability to improve the condition and efficiency of its transportation system or enhance economic development opportunities and quality of life," the report reads.
