Poor roads cost motorists $995 each, report says
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
The poor state of Hawai'i roads costs each motorist almost $1,000 a year in extra repairs, gasoline, medical bills, lost time and other expenses, according to a new national study.
In all, the problems represent a $677 million a year drain on the state economy, according to the report from The Road Information Program.
Bonifas
Hawai'i roads "lack desirable safety features, have inadequate capacity to meet travel demands or have poor pavement conditions," the report's author said. "The roads are just not as safe as they could be, and that causes a terrible loss for everybody," said Carolyn Bonifas, associate director of research and communication for the nonprofit group of highway improvement advocates including insurance companies, labor unions and construction firms.
In 2003, the latest year for which data are available, 13 percent of Hawai'i's roads were rated in poor condition and 53 percent of the roads tested were in mediocre condition, Bonifas said. That's about consistent with national averages, she said.
Meanwhile, about 23 percent of the state's freeways and other highways are considered congested, leading to an increase in average commuting times. That translates into each motorist spending an additional 19 hours a year — or more than two full working days — in traffic when compared with 1990, she said.
State Transportation Director Rod Haraga agreed with much of what's in the report but said the state has been responding aggressively in the past two years to make changes.
"We're undertaking a number of large projects that will systematically improve the situation over time," Haraga said.
Congested, potholed roads and other problems cost Hawai'i drivers in a number of ways, Bonifas said:
• Poor roadway design leading to traffic accidents and deaths result in an extra $218 million annually in medical costs, lost productivity and property damage. That comes to $261 per driver.
• Traffic congestion results in $147 million annually in delays and wasted fuel, about $339 per driver.
• Potholes and other roadway deterioration add $312 million in extra operating costs, depreciation, repair and increased fuel consumption and tire wear; about $395 per person.
Recent and current resurfacing projects: • Moanalua Freeway from Aloha Stadium to Kalihi • Nimitz Highway from Sumner Street to Queen Street • Likelike Highway • Nimitz Highway from Sumner Street to the H-1 Airport viaduct Upcoming state resurfacing projects: • Kalaniana'ole Highway from Castle Junction to Castle Medical Center (May) • Pu'uloa Road from Nimitz Highway to Salt Lake Boulevard (May) • Kamehameha Highway from Waiahole Valley Road to Crouching Lion (summer) • 'Aiea Access Road from Moanalua Road to Kamehameha Highway (end of 2005) • Farrington Highway through Waipahu (early 2006) • Kamehameha Highway from Hawaiian Memorial Park to Pali Highway (early 2006)
Even Haraga admitted he has been a victim of the poor roads.
Roadwork
"I had to have my car realigned last year after I hit a big pothole right in front of the Honolulu police station on Beretania Street," he said.
The state needs to increase awareness and have motorists demand more government spending to improve the roads, Bonifas said.
The state already has responded with a $20 million increase in road maintenance funding this year, which has allowed completed or planned repaving and other repairs along major corridors including Moanalua Freeway and Nimitz, Likelike and Kalaniana'ole highways, Haraga said.
"If you gave me another $150 million, we could spend it all, but we'd have to do it systematically," he said. "Otherwise, we'd have all the major roads under construction at once."
Drivers who heard about the report yesterday tended to agree with the assessment.
"The roads are pretty bad, and that causes a lot of wear and tear on my vehicle," said real-estate agent Nita Pearl Sawyer, who estimates she drives about 20,000 miles a year. "I probably have to replace my tires more often because of all the wear."
Others said they appreciated state and city efforts to increase road maintenance but felt more could be done.
"Yeah, they could do more, but they could also do it more efficiently," said Stasia Worrell, an after-school aide in Kalihi who commutes from Waimanalo. "It seems like they're always doing something on the roads, but nothing gets better."
Firefighter Tim Bannon of Kailua said the roads are starting to improve, "but remember that they started from a really bad place. I wouldn't mind paying more taxes for the roads as long as I'm sure they're not going to waste it."
The report on Hawai'i road conditions was one of several hundred The Road Information Program has done around the country in the past three decades, Bonifas said.
The group used data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Census Bureau, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Texas Transportation Institute and the state Department of Transportation to make its assessments, she said.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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