Final 2011/14 MTIP - sacog

System Preservation, Operation, and Maintenance Costs
Fiscal constraint encompasses not only operation and maintenance of capital projects in the MTIP but also
the estimated costs of maintaining and operating the total transportation system as well. The frameworks of
both SACOG’s current Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and 2011/14 MTIP take into account these
operating and maintenance costs.
Between 2000 and 2008 local governments in the SACOG region spent approximately $2.1 billion on road
maintenance and reconstruction, an average of about $240 million per year for the region’s 10,000 miles of
city and county roads. Routine maintenance accounts for about 60% ($144 million/year) of these
expenditures with the remaining 40% ($96 million) going toward major reconstruction projects.
The level of investment in maintenance and reconstruction fluctuates from year to year, but has grown at an
average rate of 10% per year since 2000. In 2008, the latest year for which data are available, local
government expenditures were more than $190 million for routine maintenance and $135 million for
reconstruction ($325 million combined) 1 .
In 2009, a coalition including the California State Association of Counties, League of California Cities,
County Engineers Association of California, Los Angeles County, California Regional Transportation
Planning Agencies, and the California Rural Counties Task Force conducted a statewide study of the
condition of local streets and roads 2 . The study ranked road conditions using a pavement condition index
(PCI) with values of zero (failed condition) to 100 (good to excellent condition). Five of the SACOG
region’s six counties had PCI scores equal to or better than the state average of 68. El Dorado, Sacramento,
and Yolo counties have PCI’s in the “At Risk” category (50-69), while Placer, Sutter, and Yuba counties have
PCI’s in the “Good-Excellent” category (70-100). Placer County had the highest score in the state with a PCI
of 79. None of the counties in the region received a “Poor” or “Failed” score on either major or local roads.
The coalition’s report estimates the cost of bringing all roads up to a PCI of 80 or better over a 10-year
period. At this level, roads will require only the most cost effective pavement preservation treatments (ie.
patching, sealing, and overlays) to remain in good to excellent condition. To bring all of the counties in the
SACOG region to this level would require investments in maintenance and reconstruction of about $430
million annually. Given the most recent annual investment in maintaining local transportation infrastructure,
the cities and counties in the region would need to find an additional $100 million dollars annually to meet
this need.
Unfortunately, resources for road maintenance don’t keep pace with escalating costs and there are no easy
choices for more money. Preventive maintenance is important for controlling long-term costs, but the only
funds available for maintenance are the local shares of the gas tax, sales tax funds, and local general funds.
Maintenance and rehabilitation consume about 70% of the typical local road budget today, leaving only 30%
for local improvements and new construction. Generally, federal and state money is not available to assist
with routine maintenance, however, as roads deteriorate and require more extensive reconstruction, SACOG
taps federal and state funds to help local governments bring these roads back to a good state of repair. The
current MTP prioritizes preservation of the existing transportation system when making investment decisions
with revenues that can be used for maintenance and rehabilitation purposes. Since 1998, the region has
diverted approximately 15% of state and federal funds to road rehabilitation instead of road improvements.
In addition, the MTP calls for an additional ¼ cent sales tax in Sacramento County which will help pay for
additional road maintenance and transit operations.
1 Data obtained from 2000-2008 California State Controller Local Streets and Roads Reports
2 California Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment (http://www.savecaliforniastreets.org/)
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