In “Pelandale work OK’d” (Oct. 9, Page A1) one paragraph startled me: “Commission vice chairman Carl Guardino cited a study released last week by TRIP, a national transportation research group, which estimated that lousy Modesto roads cost drivers an extra $560 each year in car repairs and fuel because of delays.”

It’s not that the thought was new to me, it’s the dollars and cents of it. It means that the cut in spending on roads has cost us more than they saved. There’s nobody in the county whose share of the road budget is $560 a year. It’s simply money we waste by cutting government too much.

MICHAEL CAINE

Modesto