2015 Roads Financing Report for Long-Term Road Plan (November 2015) This is the report to the Board on funding options for road maintenance. See our article on the home page for a summary. Also, here is a link to the Press Democrat report on the Board decision to increase funding.
Bumpy Roads Ahead: America’s Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother (July 2015) - The National Transportation Research Group’s July 2015 report compared roads among cities with urban populations between 250,000 and 500,000. It found that Santa Rosa Has Nation’s Third Worst Roads for a Medium-Sized City.
Using Federal Highway Administration data from 2013 the group concluded that Santa Rosa has the third highest share of roads in the nation that are rated poor (chart 5, page 15). Only 10 percent of Santa Rosa’s roads and highways are considered to be good; 12 percent are fair, 29% are mediocre and 49% are poor. For purposes of this study an urban area includes the city and its neighboring suburban areas, meaning that the county roads adjacent to Santa Rosa are included. Here also is the report's, Appendix B
You can also click here to read the Press Democrat's coverage of this report.
Street Fight - 2013 PCI Scores for Each Bay Area City and County (October 2014) - This report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) provides the pavement condition index (PCI) scores for each Bay Area county and city. The best cities in Sonoma County are Windsor and Sonoma, each with a PCI of 70. The worst is Petaluma with a PCI of 46. Sonoma County roads have a PCI of 45, which marks an improvement over the previous year.
California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment (October 2014). This report details the failing of California’s streets and roads. It provides a critical analysis and information on local transportation networks' condition. Sonoma County ranks 47th of the 58 counties in California based on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), which is an improvement from two years ago when we were 51st. See pages 16-17. If voters approve a sales tax increase for roads in June 2015 Sonoma County will greatly improve in the coming years.
The True Cost of Deficient Roadways (September 2014) - A report by the national origination TRIP, a national transportation research group, founds that deficient roadways cost each Bay Area driver more than $2,200 annually.
Pavement Condition Index (Alphabetically A-Z) - May 2014 - This is a measure of road condition on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 being perfect. Below 30 is considered "failing" and between 31-50 "poor". 74 percent of Sonoma County roads are considered poor or failing.
Long-Term Road Plan - June 2014 - This is a draft of the yet to be approved long-term plan for fixing Sonoma County roads.
Decision to Request the Attorney General of California draft "Title and Summary" for a new "California Road Repairs Act" (November 19 2013) - A letter from the organizations "Transportation California" and "California Alliance for Jobs" regarding their request to the Attorney General of California.
20th Annual Higway Report (Reason Foundation - July 2013) - California ranks 47th out of 50 states in this study for overall road conditions, despite the fact that our "total per-mile spending in California is 4.7 times the national average." Here is the Summary for California.
California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment (January 2013) This report details the failing of California’s streets and roads. It provides a critical analysis and information on local transportation networks' condition. Sonoma County is 8th from the bottom of the 58 counties in California based on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). See page 16-17. Sonoma County roads actually ranks much worse because the PCI information in this report blends cities and counties together. The pavement in the cities of Sonoma County is much better than the pavement on county roads. The combined data makes Sonoma Counties city roads seem to be worse than they are while county roads seem to be much better than they are.
Ad Hoc Committee on Roads -October 2012 Updated Report on $8 million new funding for road repair by the Board of Supervisors Ad Hoc Committee on Roads. The report provides a brief overview of the county road system and its deteriorated condition, identifies the 13.2 miles of roads to be improved with $6.5 million during fiscal year 2012-2013, specifies how an additional $1.5 million will be spent, and identifies options for new funding.
Ad Hoc Committee on Roads -June 2012 Report on finding new funding for road repair by the Board of Supervisors Ad Hoc Committee on Roads. Provide a brief overview of the county road system, its deteriorated condition and options for new funding.
The Roads Ahead Report - 2008 This report was created by the County Department of Transportation and Public Works in 2008 to provide a comprehensive overview of county road conditions and financing for road preservation and maintenance.
It covers federal, state and local road financing, existing and future condition of county roads and what needs to be done to bring our roads back to acceptable levels.
2011 Bay Area Infrastructure Report Local roads and highways rank in the top ten worst locations in the U.S. for pavement.condition according to the American Society of Civil Engineers in a new report.This is report assesses the road repair needs in the Bay Area. The section on roads begins on page 10.
The Roads Ahead Report Presentation - 2008 This is a slide overview of the full Road Ahead report that describes county road deterioration and the shortfall in funding that will result in over 80 percent of county roads converting to gravel if current under funding of roads continues.
Sonoma County 2011-2012 Budget The transportation budget starts on page 165. As you can see on page 170 the County is devoting only $3.6 million or about 1% of its general fund budget on road maintenance compared to $3.2 million on transit.
Of the $385.9 million general fund budget, 52% is devoted to criminal justice, 23% to administration and fiscal services and 13% to health and human services.
List of County "Priority Roads" This is a list of 197.97 miles of County roads that are designated as "Priority Roads" by the Board of Supervisors. Roads not on this list will NOT be maintained beyond filling potholes. Eventually, these roads will be unusable as a paved road.
Pothole Report - Metropolitan Transportation Commission - June 2011 A report from MTC that discusses the problem of deteriorating roads throughout the Bay Area and includes the PCI (Pavement Condition Index) for every city and county in the Bay Area.
Rough Roads Ahead This report from the ASSHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) addresses the costs of poor roads and highways.
Innovative Financing Methods for Local Roads in the Midwest and Mountain-Plains States an intesting ariticle published by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute of North Dakota State University in May, 1997. Contains some good ideas for rural roads that are pertinent to Sonoma County.