California Drivers Lose $44B Over Worn-Out Roads Cost, Report Says

California’s worn-out, congested roads and bridges are costing drivers $44 billion a year, a report released today shows.

Higher vehicle operating costs, congestion-related delays and traffic accidents cost $2,458 per driver in Los Angeles, according to the report released by The Road Information Program or TRIP, a national highway advocacy group. In San Francisco, the figure is $2,206, and in San Jose, it’s $1,723, according to the report.

“California’s roads and highways are among the most heavily traveled in the nation and this report reflects the fact that our transportation system is simply worn out,” Will Kempton, executive director of Transportation California, a Sacramento-based advocacy group, said in a statement.

States and localities across the U.S. are seeking to bolster or replace aging roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Failure to make improvements may lead to job losses and higher prices, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said Sept. 9.

More than a quarter of the bridges in the most-populous U.S. state are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and the pavement on 34 percent of its roads and highways is rated in poor condition, according to the report. Traffic crashes claimed 14,878 lives from 2008 to 2012, an average of 2,976 a year.

More funding is needed from federal, state and local governments, the report recommended.