City disputes report that poor roads cost Wichita drivers more

Wichitans are among drivers who pay more for vehicle repairs caused by poor roads, according to a report Thursday that city officials disputed.

The report from TRIP, a national nonprofit transportation research group, said Wichita drivers pay nearly $600 a year in vehicle operating costs as a result of driving on roads with “unacceptable ride quality.” That’s $75 above the national average cost of $516.

Yet Wichita had less pavement in “substandard” condition than the national average – 22 percent compared with 28 percent nationally. It did not make the report’s list of cities with the poorest road conditions.

City officials said the study findings on repair costs had flawed methodology.

The report ranked Wichita 21st in repair costs for urban areas with a population between 250,000 and 500,000. Temecula-Murrieta, Calif., and Flint, Mich., ranked first and second, with costs of $857 and $839, respectively.

Local car repair shops say they are seeing business as usual.

“We see a decent amount of normal wear and tear from potholes, curbs, bumps and bruises,” said Tim Yarmer, shop manager at Tracy’s Automotive near Maple and West Street. “Honestly, it’s not more than normal.”

The city fixes between 50,000 and 70,000 potholes each year, said Alan King, director of public works and utilities.

The past couple of years the city has budgeted $8 million for street repair. The recommended city budget, if approved, will provide an additional $2 million to be spent on road repairs starting in 2019, and King expects that total to climb over the years.

Of the city’s 5,000 lane miles, about 900 are considered in poor condition. The city fixed 72 lane miles of damaged roads in 2011, but more than 460 lane miles have been repaired so far this year because of more cost-efficient repair efforts, King said.

The TRIP report suggests a proactive, rather than reactive approach to repairing urban roads.

And Wichita is doing just that, King said.

In an effort to keep up with a need when there’s not enough money, city workers are applying a seal coat on the pavements before they reach a state of disrepair.

“Think of the siding on your house,” King said. “If you keep it painted, it will last forever. If you neglect it and let it start to deteriorate, there’s nothing you can do but replace it.”

The methodology of the TRIP report is flawed because it does not factor in the condition of Wichita’s roads, King said. Instead, he said, it reflects the number of miles driven.

The list of cities with higher repair costs is based on average number of miles driven a year and current vehicle operating costs, as determined by AAA’s 2014 vehicle operating costs, according to the report. Research on the impact of road conditions on fuel consumption is also included.

Those factors are run through the Highway Development and Management Model, the report said, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the “definitive analysis” of how road conditions affect vehicle costs.

Rocky Moretti, director of policy and research at TRIP and the author of the report, said road conditions are a “key variable.”

Researchers include the “analysis roughness index,” he said, which measures the amount of vibrations on Wichita roads, which correlates to rougher pavements.

The report was supported by insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, distributors and suppliers; businesses involved in highway and transit engineering, construction and finance; labor unions and other organizations.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 6:35 AM with the headline "City disputes report that poor roads cost Wichita drivers more."