Napa County Roads Ranked: How They Compare To Rest Of Bay Area
NAPA COUNTY, CA — Unincorporated Napa County is home to some of the Bay Area's lowest-quality roads, a recent analysis found.
The 227 miles of roadway in unincorporated areas of Napa County ranked in the "poor" category, according to the latest report on local road pavement conditions by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees transportation planning for the nine-county Bay Area. Napa County roads scored 45 out of a possible 100 points, down 3 points from last year.
Roads deemed "poor" — in the 40-49 range — require major rehabilitation or reconstruction, the commission reported.
Roads deemed "fair" — in the 60-69 range — are becoming worn to the point where rehabilitation may be needed to prevent rapid deterioration, the commission reported.
Roads deemed "at-risk" — in the 50-59 range — may soon require major rehabilitation or reconstruction.
Bay Area roads in general scored 67 out of a possible 100 points on average for the fifth consecutive year, according to the report.
The report reflected the average of data from the past three years. The most recent report included data from 2020 and was released late last year.
The highest-scoring cities were Cupertino (score of 85), Dublin (84) and Palo Alto (84).
The lowest scorers were Pacifica (42), Petaluma (44) and unincorporated Napa County (45).
"Some of the pavement work scheduled for last year was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Alfredo Pedroza, MTC Chair and Napa County supervisor. "But the new scores illustrate how big a challenge it is to bring our roads — not just in Napa County but all around the Bay Area — to a state of good repair."
"Local streets and roads money from the SB 1 transportation package is helping counties and cities hold the line against deterioration, but our goal at MTC is to raise the region’s average PCI score into the mid-80s," Pedroza said. "The data give us a real appreciation for just how many miles of roadway the Bay Area has and a reminder of how old a lot of our pavement is, too."
No areas ranked in the "excellent" category, with 90 points or higher, indicating roads were newly built or resurfaced.
Here's how cities and communities within Napa County fared.
Yountville: score of 74, 16 miles of road
City of Napa: score of 69, 467 miles of road
American Canyon: score of 62, 112 miles of road
Calistoga: score of 61, 30 miles of road
St. Helena: score of 54, 51 miles of road
Napa County as a whole scored 56 for its 1,508 miles of roads, a score that puts them at risk of soon needing major rehabilitation, according to the commission.
The report "underscores the continuing challenges faced by cities’ and counties’ public works departments," the commission said in a statement.
The challenge is particularly great for local governments in areas with roads deemed to be in "poor" condition, with a score of 25 to 49 points.
"Because major repairs cost five to 10 times more than routine maintenance, these streets are at an especially critical stage," the commission said.
When it comes to the Bay Area's biggest cities, Oakland isn't far from the "poor" category. It ranked in the "at risk" category, with 54 points, up from 53 points in 2019.
San Francisco sat squarely in the "good" category, with 74 points. San Jose's roads were ranked as "fair," with 66 points.
View the complete 2020 ranking.
This article originally appeared on the Napa Valley Patch
