For what local drivers pay extra to operate a vehicle on Honolulu's ragged roadways, they could fly roundtrip to New York, buy 30 or so shares of current hot stock Nordstrom Inc., or load the fridge with 68 pounds of choice Angus tenderloin.

According to 2007 statistics compiled by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in its recently released report "Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or Pay For It Later," Honolulu drivers pay $688 in additional vehicle operating costs — more than twice the national average — each year due to poor pavement conditions.

Among cities with populations of 500,000 or more, Honolulu ranks fifth in additional vehicle costs behind Los Angeles ($746), San Jose ($732), San Francisco-Oakland ($705) and Tulsa ($703).

Statewide, drivers pay an average of $503 extra because of rough roads. The national average is $335.

The state also fared poorly in the association's analysis of pavement conditions.

Drawing on Federal Highway Administration data, the report categorized all urban and rural roads in each state as "good," "fair," "mediocre" or "poor."

Hawai'i had the fourth-highest percentage of roads in the "poor" category — 27 percent — behind New Jersey (46 percent), California (35 percent) and Rhode Island (32 percent). It led all states with roads in the "mediocre" category at 44 percent.

According to the report, only 19 percent of Hawai'i roads were rated "fair," and only 10 percent — the lowest percentage of all states — were considered "good."

Among urban areas, Honolulu tied with San Jose and San Francisco-Oakland for the second-highest percentage of roads in "poor" condition at 61 percent. Los Angeles ranked first at 64 percent.

Hawai'i has 4,281 miles of roads (2,104 urban and 2,177 rural).

"This is just an approximation of what's going on," said Panos Prevedouros, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Hawai'i. "The reality is that our roads are much worse than the report says."

Prevedouros said the report relied heavily on data tracked by the state, but seemed to lack complete information on roads maintained by the city. Had such information been available, Prevedouros said, "We'd be at rock bottom."

"This is what years of neglect have done," he said.

State Transportation Director Brennon Morioka could not be reached for comment.

ROADS IN TROUBLE

Honolulu resident Joe Baloloy, 36, didn't need a report to understand that the roadways he drives every day in his truck are in serious need of improvement.

"Compared to the rest of the country, I think we're pretty far back," Baloloy said. "There are a lot of bad areas — Vineyard, Bishop, Alakea. The most crowded areas they don't want to fix."

The state of local roads isn't just a concern for drivers.

Terry Noble, 47, walks to where he needs to go — he stopped bicycling after a near collision with a bus -but he has to step carefully to avoid broken pavement and potholes.

"Even walking I see that there are lots of potholes," he said. "Across the street from where I live on Victoria Street, (the pavement) is totally destroyed."

Yet, Noble isn't sure what can be done given the extent of the problem around the state.

"I think it'd be impossible to keep up," he said.

The cost to drivers here and on the Mainland is twofold.

As the report states, "The American public pays for poor pavement conditions twice — first through additional vehicle operating costs, and then in higher costs to restore pavement to good condition."

Pavement conditions are rated according to a measure known as the International Roughness Index. While roads rated "mediocre" or "fair" may be repaired to "good" condition, those rated "poor" generally need more intensive and costly resurfacing or reconstruction to address serious wear and deterioration to the surface and underlying structures.

As the AASHTO report noted, driving on rough roads accelerates vehicle depreciation, reduces fuel efficiency, and damages tires and suspension.

Data contained in the report supports the correlation between pavement conditions and additional vehicle operation costs. For example, Georgia, which ranks first among states with 92 percent of roads in good condition, also ranks last in additional vehicle operation costs at just $44 per driver.

'A MAJOR SETBACK'

Keith Martin, 48, of Kane'ohe is on the road all day as a delivery driver for Carrier Corporation of Hawai'i. He says the vans he and other drivers use for work are under continual maintenance for flat tires and other problems caused by poor pavement conditions.

"I think there definitely need to be improvements," he said. "There are too many potholes out there that can cause accidents."

The six-year, $4.2 billion Highways Modernization Plan proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle and Senate and House leaders in January was intended to address the state of Hawai'i's deteriorating roadways with 22 statewide projects and 161 projects on O'ahu, the Big Island and Maui County.

However, the measure died a quiet death earlier this month amid concerns over tax hikes provided for in the plan.

"That was a major setback," Prevedouros said. "In the short term, it would have solved congestion and pavement problems. It didn't go far enough but it was a start. But I guess in Hawai'i we can't even get started."

Prevedouros said gas tax increases would be a fair way to pay for necessary improvements since the primary users of Hawai'i roadways would contribute to the work based on their level of usage.

With the plan shelved at least until next session, Prevedouros said the city should focus on establishing a clearly defined process for addressing repairs and maintenance. He said increased emphasis on pavement work, possible now because of decreases in the cost of gasoline and asphalt, would also help to address immediate problems while providing a boost to the economy.

"It should be a priority," he said. "It would be good for the local economy as well as for the tourists who come here and travel on our roads. It would help to address the impression that we're in a downward spiral."