Md. Drivers Losing Money Due To Poor Roads

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Winter doesn't make driving any easier.  But a new study says it's never easy in Maryland.

Alex DeMetrick reports results from the study found road conditions are also taking a big bite out of drivers' wallets. 

How you feel about Maryland roads probably depends on your route. 

A study released by TRIP, a transportation research group sponsored by insurance companies, engineers and labor unions, shows a rocky opinion.

"Here in Baltimore, the average driver spends more than $2,200 each year, as a result of driving on roads that are deteriorated, congested and not as safe as they should be," said Carolyn Bonifas, TRIP spokesperson.

That out-of-pocket cost comes mainly from the wear and tear rough roads take on cars--everything from tires to wasted gas in traffic jams to body work from road-related conditions.

AAA is backing the study's findings, which claims 26 percent of Maryland's major roads are in poor condition and 18 percent more are mediocre.  It also finds 7 percent of the state's bridges are structurally deficient and 19 percent are functionally obsolete.

But yearly bridge inspections have not found any to be unsafe to drive on.  Some are being replaced, but a budget deficit has placed many road projects on hold.

So where to find the money? AAA believes the gas tax must be increased.

"If motorists look at the big picture, they will accept this.  And if it's done properly, if it's phased in so the real costs may not hit hard until our economy has come back much further, I think that would be an acceptable way of proceeding," said Lon Anderson, Mid-Atlantic AAA.

Maybe. But a tax hike could generate more noise than a worn road.

AAA plans to use the study to lobby state legislators to keep money in the state's transportation trust fund from being spent on non-transportation projects.