Like pot holes? You'll love Sonoma County

<p>Sonoma County roads once again have earned the bone-jarring distinction of being the worst in the Bay Area.</p><p>And the ranking isn’t expected to emerge from its five-year rut any time soon. Belt-tightening at all levels of government means fewer dollars to patch potholes and lay slurry seal.</p><p>For the next few years, motorists could be in for a bumpy ride.</p><p>“Without the infusion of additional revenue, our roads are going to get worse,” said Phil Demery, Sonoma County director of public works. “We have to do something different.”</p><p>A draft report on pavement conditions by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission rated the 2,730 miles of rural byways in the unincorporated area a 44 out of a possible 100.</p><p>The lowly rank represents a decline from 2003, when the county scored a 48. It’s the worst score for any city or county in the nine-county region, where the average is 65.</p><p>Among the cities hugging the bottom is Petaluma, which has been trying to shake off a reputation as a pothole capital. It received a ranking of 57, down three points from the previous year.</p><p>Santa Rosa’s 1,081 miles of roadway scored a 64, down from 67 five years ago. Marin County got a 49 and Napa County a 51.</p><p>The top roads were in Brentwood in Contra Costa County and Los Altos in Santa Clara County, which each scored 84.</p><p>The rankings are based on reports submitted to the commission by the jurisdictions about road upkeep and condition. Each year, the commission compiles the information to come up with a three-year average ranking.</p><p>Large counties with more roads and smaller populations such as Sonoma County tend to fare worse because they get the least amount of money from the state, said commission spokesman Randy Rentschler.</p><p>Also, older cities such as Petaluma do poorly when compared to newer cities like Brentwood, where streets are not as worn, he said.</p><p>Digging out from a bad rating is complicated by flat or declining revenue that has caused many jurisdictions to defer maintenance, he said.</p><p>“It’s like the old Fram oil filter commercial: ‘Pay me now or pay me later,’” he said. “If you let the roads go, it becomes much more expensive to fix them.”</p><p>Money for roads comes from a combination of sources, including local property and special taxes and a portion of state gas taxes. </p><p>Gas tax money is allocated by a formula that considers some combination of population, vehicle registration and road lane miles. Compared to some other Bay Area counties, Sonoma County has fewer vehicles but more roadway. The result is a smaller allocation that must be spread farther. “When you add it up, we have less revenue than some other counties yet we have two to three times the number of miles to maintain,” Demery said. “That doesn’t serve us well at all.”</p><p>Although the county plans to spend about 5 percent more on road maintenance this year, increased fuel and material costs and a gaping $20 million budget deficit could prevent it from doing all that is needed.</p><p>When officials begin budget talks in late January, “everything will be on the table, including the road fund,” said county administrator Bob Deis.</p><p>Up for discussion is whether to redirect up to $8 million in local money that usually pays for things like pavement repair and vegetation management.</p><p>“It’s premature to say we will cut the contribution to the road fund,” Deis said. “We’re asking the departments to recommend cuts. It may be offered up, but that’s a board call.”</p><p>Supervisor Mike Kerns said faced with employee layoffs or cuts to things like health services, roads will likely take a hit.</p><p>A possible savior could come in the form of a federal stimulus package, but nothing is guaranteed, Kerns said.</p><p>“We’re going to have some very tough decisions to make,” Kerns said. “I hate to do it (cut the roads budget) because we have made a commitment and it has been a priority.”</p><p>Santa Rosa also is feeling the squeeze.</p><p>Colleen Ferguson, the city’s director of capital projects in public works, said the city money to cover about two-thirds of needed road maintenance.</p><p>She doesn’t expect the city, which has the fifth most street mileage in the Bay Area, will allocate more when it’s in the midst of a severe budget crisis that could lead to layoffs.</p><p>Petaluma, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, has long struggled with a low ranking, going back to 2002, when it scored a 48. City Manager John Brown said unstable adobe clay under aged streets accounts for much of the problem. Finding money in a time of budget cuts is another thing, he said.</p><p>Still, the city has worked to shed its image. A pocked section of East Washington Street on the west side will be paved this spring. Crews also will smooth a rough stretch of Crinella Drive on the east side, he said.</p><p>“We have projects going forward,” Brown said. “I would imagine those two would have a positive effect on our index next year.”</p><p>Meanwhile, motorists continue to grit their teeth. And car repair shops continue to straighten bent wheels and blown tires.</p><p>Gary Brodie, who owns a Petaluma tire shop, said the first winter rainstorms reveal a minefield of potholes and pavement cracks that can lead to hundreds of dollars in damage. He worries that poor conditions can lead to fatalities.</p><p>“We’re at the bottom of the barrel,” Brodie said. “It just represents where our dollars are not being spent.”</p>