Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

9 hours ago

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

10 hours ago

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

11 hours ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

12 hours ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

12 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

1 day ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

1 day ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

1 day ago
Walters: California Is No. 1 — in Rough Highways
dan_walters
By Dan Walters, CalMatters Commentary
Published 5 years ago on
December 9, 2020

Share

Much has been said and written about the nation’s stark political divisions and a state-by-state map of November’s presidential election confirms them.

The 50 states were evenly divided between President Donald Trump and his successful challenger, Joe Biden, but the latter triumphed by winning the more populous states.

Dan Walters

Opinion

This week, another map was published that bore an uncanny resemblance to the ones portraying the presidential outcome. Generated by Money Geek, a website devoted to personal finance issues, it displays the differences among states in the conditions of their highways and in how much they are spending on roadway maintenance.

Overlaying the political and roadway maps reveals that in general, the bluer states — those that favored Biden — also tend to have the roughest roads while motorists in pro-Trump red states generally have smoother pavement beneath their tires.

Coincidence? Perhaps, but the data may also say something about political priorities.

California, not surprisingly, fares the worst in Money Geek calculations of roadway roughness, based on federal data. Anyone who has driven extensively in other states can attest that highways elsewhere are much more user-friendly and that crossing the state line back into California is literally a jarring experience.

Among Red States, the Worst Roads Are Found in No. 11 Louisiana

The only place American drivers can find rougher roads is in the deep blue District of Columbia.

California is followed in the rankings by blue states Rhode Island, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.

Among red states, the worst roads are found in No. 11 Louisiana. At the other end of the scale, very red Oklahoma has the nation’s smoothest roads, followed by Idaho, Indiana and Alabama, all of whom went for Trump.

Why California has such crappy roads is one of those nagging questions that defy easy answers.

Californians drive a lot, well over 300 billion miles a year, so one of the factors is that our highways get a lot of wear and tear.

However, lots of driving also consumes lots of fuel, more than a billion gallons a month, and generates lots of gas tax money. A few years ago, former Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature boosted fuel taxes sharply to the second-highest level of any state. At nearly 75 cents a gallon, including federal taxes, they are just behind those in Pennsylvania, which also has relatively bad roads.

Despite the tax increase, however, Money Geek says California is no better than mediocre in spending on highway maintenance and improvements at $13.95 per lane mile a year. That’s twice what Oklahoma, which has the best highways, spends, so California clearly hasn’t been getting much bang for its gas tax bucks.

The Money Is Going Out the Door

The big tax increase, which also included a stiff hike in auto registration fees, raises an estimated $5 billion a year and was billed as a way to catch up on decades of maintenance neglect.

The money is going out the door. Earlier this year, the California Transportation Commission approved $17.4 billion in state and federal funds for nearly 900 projects that will, the commission’s chairman, Paul Van Konynenburg said, “make roads and bridges safer for California drivers (and) will save drivers money by fixing the potholes that can damage vehicles.”

The tax increase legislation requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to meet certain goals by 2027, including that 98% of the pavement on the state highway system be in good or fair condition and that at least an additional 500 highway bridges get fixed.

Will Californians actually see better roads, or will deterioration outpace even this big boost in spending? We may know by 2027.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

[activecampaign form=19]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

UP NEXT

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

UP NEXT

Things Netanyahu Might Say if Injected With Truth Serum

UP NEXT

California Politicians Ignore Ag’s Troubles, but Boost Movie Business

UP NEXT

Trump’s Courageous and Correct Decision to Bomb Iran

UP NEXT

How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

UP NEXT

Groceries Are Now a Luxury. So Is Breathing.

UP NEXT

California Politicians Agree on School Money, but Poor Test Scores Need Attention

UP NEXT

Sen. Alex Padilla: This Is How an Administration Acts When It’s Afraid

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

4 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

4 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

4 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

4 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

5 hours ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

5 hours ago

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

6 hours ago

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

6 hours ago

Jury Reaches Verdict on Some Counts at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

6 hours ago

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

6 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration released about 150 National Guard troops on Tuesday in the first pullback since it dispatched a milit...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

An Israeli military convoy manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
3 hours ago

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

Abel Joel Garcia Zarate, 39, of Biola, was arrested Sunday, June, 30, 2025, in Madera County on suspicion of starting a wildfire just hours after crews responded to a separate blaze sparked by farm equipment. (Madera County SO)
4 hours ago

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

4 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERSStringerFile Photo
4 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

4 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

Lara Trump looks on during Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's rally, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend