Stanislaus County roads suffer from dwindling gas tax revenue

Teacher Talib Abdul-Khabir describes it as the “road to hell.” The 225-foot road for the Petersen Alternative Center for Education, near Modesto Junior College’s west campus, has 38 potholes and is a nightmare for vehicle shock absorbers and wheel alignments, he said.

When school is out, parents drive around the potholes and students walking alongside the road are too preoccupied with cellphones and horseplay to watch for cars, Abdul-Khabir said.

He told Stanislaus County supervisors April 5 that “disaster is coming,” and urged the county to fix the road.

Public Works Director Matt Machado said he has seen worse, but officials are looking into fixing the road section between the Juvenile Commitment Center and Petersen Alternative Center. The county Office of Education and MJC could be asked to pitch in for the overlay, probably to cost less than $50,000.

Though the road is technically a driveway on county land, Machado said, it reflects the condition of county roads in a time of serious declines in state gas tax revenue.

This year, county revenue from the gasoline tax is $3.4 million less than in the 2014-15 budget year. Another $1 million decline is expected for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Officials say road maintenance funding is evaporating because of cheaper fuel prices and growing numbers of fuel-efficient and electric vehicles on the highways. In addition, California’s gasoline tax has remained at 42 cents per gallon for 22 years.

County Public Works canceled chip-seal maintenance on roads last summer and won’t have the funds for the work in the next two summers, Machado said. Slurry seal work, which extends the life of pavement, is on hold as well.

About 80 to 100 miles of chip-seal work is normally done each year, Machado said, noting that roads are showing the wear. An engineering rating on the condition of the county’s 1,500 miles of roadway has fallen to 46 on a scale of 1 to 100.

The county is now $73 million behind on routine maintenance for the road system.

“We are at a failed condition,” Machado said. “The longer we delay addressing the funding needs, the more expensive it is to get the roads up to minimum standards.”

With the lack of funding, Public Works has put six road maintenance positions on the chopping block. Deteriorated roads result in more vehicle accidents, higher repair costs for consumers and increased liability for county government.

The county and its nine cities, which also face a growing maintenance bill, are watching state legislation that could increase the state gas tax 6 to 12 cents a gallon and raise vehicle license fees to repair roads. Various proposals would increase license fees $35 – and $100 for electric vehicles.

A half-cent countywide transportation tax on the November ballot would generate $39 million a year and devote half to local streets and roads.

Machado said the county will use a separate funding source for repairing the worn-out road near the Petersen education center, where 220 students receive individual attention from teachers. The project was given a priority mainly because of recent complaints.

“Our office is working in collaboration with the county and MJC to repair that road,” said Cynthia Fenech, a communications coordinator for the county Office of Education. “As far as I know, (Stanislaus County Office of Eduction) is willing to pitch in on that.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County roads suffer from dwindling gas tax revenue."