CINCINNATI — A new report says more than half of Cincinnati’s major roads are in “poor” or “mediocre” condition.
Statewide, 31% of Ohio’s roads fall under those classifications, compared with 28% in Kentucky and 36% in Indiana.
The report was compiled by TRIP, a transportation research non-profit. It also looked at the conditions of the Buckeye state’s bridges.
Rocky Moretti, Director of Policy and Research for the non-profit, said those pavement condition statistics are actually somewhat better than at federal level.
The report was generated by utilizing state and local department of transit data about road bumpiness, which was correlated to road condition.
“The worse shape the roads are and the more you're getting jarred on the roadways, the sooner you'll be back in the showroom because you need a new vehicle,” Moretti said.
He noted that more money has been spent on the roads in recent years, including a 10.5 cent fuel tax increase at the state level in 2019. Locally, Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation and Engineering website shows that the Street Rehab Capital Infrastructure Program has increased its funding.
“The challenge is that over the last two years, we've seen highway construction costs, which are essentially labor and materials, increased by 36%,” Moretti said.
According to the city, the cost to rehab one “lane mile” jumped 51% in one fiscal year. It now sits at $500,000 per lane mile. That means the city can do less street rehabilitation despite more funding.
In the FY24 budget, the city noted its current pavement condition index (PCI) was 70 out of 100, which puts it in the “good” category. It listed a funding gap in the upcoming budget, which the city said was needed for maintaining the current condition index.
Noting budget constraints during a pothole blitz in April 2023, Mayor Aftab Pureval pointed to the railway sale as a solution for additional infrastructure dollars. Although that sale was approved by voters in November, the money is still years away.
