Rochester area drivers lose over 1700 dollars a year on roads that are in rough shape, congested, and lack safety features.
That's according to a new report from TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that researches, evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on surface transportation issues.
Director of policy and research, Rocky Moretti, says statewide, it amounts to nearly $25 (b) billion dollars due to higher vehicle operating costs, crashes, and congestion related delays.
He says that local drivers also spend 39 hours a year stuck in traffic, and almost a third of Rochester's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
"If you let them slip into poor condition, the cost of those repairs are typically four times as much. And so the challenge is making those repairs and that can be either at the state or local level," he said.
Maretti says it's important to make those repairs in a timely fashion.
He says it's unlikely a federal program will step in and address all of New York's problems, without a significant increase in investment in transportation improvements at the local and state and level.
The group argues that the efficiency and condition of New York's transportation system, particularly its highways, is critical to the health of the state's economy.