Crumbling roads and bridges cost drivers $67 billion a year

by Laura Clawson

Here's an interesting angle on the impact of those 61,000 structurally deficient bridges in the United States: they're not just unsafe, they're costing drivers money every day. Going over potholes is not good for your car, and the resulting repairs can really add up:

Twenty-four percent of bridges nationwide are functionally obsolete or structurally deficient, and roads in need of repair are costing vehicle owners about $67 billion annually, according to the DOT figures. [...] The state of roadways, measured by the proportion of roads deemed by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be in poor or mediocre condition, also ranged widely, reaching as high as 73 percent in Connecticut and as low as 17 percent in Indiana.

We're talking about added annual repair or operating costs of $601 per motorist in New Jersey, $586 per motorist in California, $467 in Rhode Island and $425 in Oklahoma. In more than 30 states, the added costs are $250 or more per motorist. Paying to fix a flat or realign your car is not the same kind of problem as being on a bridge when it collapses, but it's a reminder that the costs of failing to maintain, repair, and replace infrastructure are with us every day. That's because Republicans in Congress steadfastly refuse to invest in America, even though doing so would create jobs and improve conditions not just for individual drivers but for businesses that rely on roads.