Road Surface Conditions in Lamorinda Among Best and Worst in Bay Area

The condition of road surfaces in Lafayette are among the best in the Bay Area, while roads in Moraga and Orinda ranked as some of the worst, according to a recent report.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission's report, titled The Pothole Report: Can the Bay Area Have Better Roads?, gives Lafayette a score of 72 out of 100 for its 2010 pavement condition index (PCI).  At 70-79 points, the MTC states that roads require mostly preventive maintenance and "have only low levels of distress, such as minor cracks or spalling."

While the condition of Lafayette's roads are ranked as "good", Moraga and Orinda's roads are "at risk" and "poor" respectively. Moraga scored 58 points and Orinda just 49, making it among the top five worst areas for road surface conditions in the Bay Area.

The MTC determines that 60 points is the threshold at which deterioration accelerates rapidly and the need for major rehabilitation increases.

Region-wide, the Bay Area scored 66 points out of 100. The report concludes that the condition of the 42,500 lane-miles of local streets in the Bay Area are "only fair at best," with serious wear and impending need for improvement. The results are the same as the 2009 reading, and within two points of readings going back to 2006. This leaves the region "mired in a mediocre-quality range," according to the MTC.

While well-maintained pavements could help the Bay Area meet state environmental targets by increasing fuel economy, the report adds that the task of improving the region's roads "is more daunting — and more expensive — than ever."

Bringing Bay Area roads up to a "good" rating of 75 points or more would require $25 billion through 2035 — a cost that is three times higher than the current $351 million spent annually on road maintenance. 

The deterioration of a road begins with the daily impact from vehicles — particularly heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses — which eventually causes surfaces to crack. Water leaks through the cracks and erodes pavement strength, eventually causing interconnected networks of cracks known as "alligator cracking." These deep crevices are the culprits behind potholes.

Some of the best roads in the Bay Area were in Brentwood, Belvedere, Dublin, Los Altos and Foster City — each with a "very good" score above 81 points. The worst areas were in Rio Vista, Larkspur, Sonoma county, St. Helena and Orinda, with "poor" scores in the 40-range. 

The Pothole Report also calls for what MTC calls a "Complete Streets" approach to road renovation, which encourages better access and use for pedestrians, bicyclists and bus riders as well as drivers.