OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A transportation research group says roads in Oklahoma cost drivers in the state $4.9 billion a year because of higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays.
A report released Wednesday by the Washington, D.C.-based group The Road Information Project says 28 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads in Oklahoma are in poor condition and another 42 percent are in mediocre or fair condition. The report says deficient roads cost each Oklahoma City area driver $2,242 per year.
The report says almost 25 percent of Oklahoma's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Oklahoma highway officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
The research group says spending more on transportation improvements would ease traffic congestion and support long-term economic growth in the state.