Driving around California, you might notice two things. Firstly, gas prices are rising. Secondly, the roads look like trash. Over the course of the past fifteen months, we’ve seen some major changes in traffic patterns and daily lifestyles. Many people have been staying indoors and filling up their tanks less. Yet it would appear this time has taken a toll on the roads.
Now, gas prices are rising again. Much of California is paying over $4.00 for a gallon and prices are approaching a seven-year high. While some people seem to believe pipeline issues have caused the cost of gasoline to increase, analysts don’t seem to agree. Rather, they point to a simpler solution: demand.
People are going out again, and holidays mean travel. This is a positive sign for those who want to resume regular life, but it also raises questions. Most importantly, they want to know where the money is going. California charges a lot in taxes and fees on each gallon of gas sold. Most specifically, they charged 50.5 cents per gallon state excise tax in 2020-21. This tax is set to raise $6.6 billion for road repairs. So, where are the repairs?
How Does California’s Gas Tax Work?
Every time you put a gallon of gas into your tank, numerous taxes and fees are added to the cost. As of the start of June 2021, $0.505 is added to the price as a state excise tax. This is simple enough: expensive, but simple. Money from this tax is then used for the state’s transportation needs.
This tax may seem steep, and that’s because it is. California charges more taxes on a gallon of gas than any other state. Plus, California has the highest population of any state in the nation. With tens of millions of cars on the road, that’s a lot of gas tax collected. When you fuel up, you’re giving a few dollars to the quality of the roads.
A big portion goes to the maintenance of roads. An estimated 80% of all highway repairs come from gas taxes. This can include filling potholes, repainting lines, or repairing structures. All of the work being done to California transportation needs to come from somewhere, and you can be sure the people of California are paying.
Plus, the taxes will rise again in July 2021 to 51.1 cents per gallon. This is a lot of money being allocated to road maintenance. As a taxpayer, I do my part. So why do my roads still look awful?
What’s Happening To The Streets of California?
Depending on where you live, the pandemic had a different level of impact on the streets. Some places stopped enforcing parking laws and have changed street sweeping schedules. In San Diego, timed parking spaces were not enforced until February 2021. Although the streets had been getting cleaned, cars remained parked. This allowed debris to collect on curbs and areas to go unpolished. In Los Angeles, the frequency of street sweeping was cut in half in early 2021. This is due to staffing reductions and certain to leave an impression when walking the streets.
Cosmetically, we’re already looking at a deficit. Early into the pandemic, transit workers were looking at an opportunity. Traffic was cut in half, and larger projects were getting attention. They were able to close lanes while impacting fewer people. This was also a curse because less road travel means less money spent on gas taxes. Eventually, there wouldn’t be money for projects.
This is going to impact progress, especially because Gov. Gavin Newsom estimates the state will need $122.9 billion to maintain existing assets for the next ten years. This is before looking at new structures and finding new sources of funding. While the gas tax has helped, it seems complications continue to derail projects.
Truth is, repairs are moving slowly. Potholes appear just as frequently as gas prices change. This means it will take a lot of effort to keep roads safe, let alone keep them looking nice.
Will Roads Get Better?
Optimistically, we can look at the easing COVID restrictions. People may be returning to work, driving more, and allowing road maintenance to become a bigger priority. Policies are being enforced post-pandemic. Now, regular maintenance can resume (where budgets permit). This might prevent some issues before they start.
As any driver knows, new issues appear as soon as an issue is resolved. If workers fall behind on projects, they risk accumulating a backlog of repairs. COVID may have limited resources allocated to maintaining roads, so the state will need more funding to increase road standards.
Road maintenance requires a lot of materials. These consume our tax dollars, including funding from the state gas tax. While California might be looking to make some progress, roadwork does not seem to be the priority. Gov. Newsom has committed to eliminating new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. No gas means no gas taxes.
This doesn’t mean California is prepared to lose money. It means funding will need to come from other sources. Until there’s a financial plan to improve the roads, it’s hard to imagine road quality improving.
Have Roads Really Gotten Worse?
The pandemic has slowed road maintenance, projects cost more than the state has in tax dollars, and funding sources need to change. It’s safe to assume road quality in California has declined.
In fact, California’s roads have been ranked 48th best in the country. Some workers believe conditions are worse than the state is allowing people to believe. Repairs are overly costly and aren’t happening very quickly. Despite all of this, the gas tax has allowed 57% of roads to be considered as “good” condition. Prior to this tax, under half received that status.
As the gas tax increases, so will public frustrations. COVID has permitted cosmetic standards to be compromised. This likely highlights the cracks, potholes, and decay. Concerned residents can always file complaints, and cities might try to repair the damage. However, there’s no telling when they will be repaired. Given the current status, there’s also no telling how the roads will be maintained in the future.