Tulsa streets are getting better.
Transportation research group TRIP says 36 percent of Tulsa roads are rated in poor condition, and another 37 percent are mediocre.
"The importance of that data is that as you get roads into poor condition — and even in mediocre condition — you’re getting behind where you need to be, and as pavements deteriorate further, those costs of improvements are far more costly," said TRIP's Rocky Moretti.
Just two years ago, 49 percent of Tulsa roads were rated as being in poor condition, giving Tulsa the 10th-highest proportion of bad roads among large U.S. cities.
The city now has the 21st-highest share of roads in poor condition, according to federal data.
"Once you’ve left your neighborhood and you’re on sort of the major routes you take as part of your commute or going about your daily life, those are the roads that the pavement data is gathered for, and they’re also the roads and highways that carry most traffic across the country," Moretti said.
Street maintenance and repair have been a focus of Tulsa officials in recent years. The 2016 Vision Tulsa package included $45 million for street maintenance and traffic, and Mayor G.T. Bynum's Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation includes a pavement condition index among its many dashboards tracking progress on city goals.
The additional cost of driving on Tulsa's rough roads through additional maintenance and vehicle depreciation has also fallen, but, at $898 a year, is still fifth-highest among large U.S. cities.
"In the Tulsa area, in Oklahoma and several other western and southern states, generally speaking, people are traveling more on average. So, that also tends to increase those costs because, obviously, the more you’re out there driving, the more wear and tear you’re placing on your vehicle," Moretti said.
The highest cost of deteriorating roads is in the San Francisco-Oakland area: $1,049 a year.
