Larkspur Has Bay Area's Best Roads, New Report Finds

LARKSPUR, CA — Many North Bay communities made strides in improving local roadways last year, including Larkspur, which is now home to the highest quality streets in the Bay Area, according to a new report.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission recently released its 2023 pavement condition index (PCI) scores for streets and roads across the region. City and county-maintained roads are graded on a 100-point scale, averaged over three years, indicating their level of distress and what level of repairs may be needed.

The MTC explains:

"PCI scores of 90 or higher are considered 'excellent.' These are newly built or resurfaced streets that show little or no distress. Pavement with a PCI score in the 80 to 89 range is considered “very good” and shows only slight or moderate distress, requiring primarily preventive maintenance. The 'good' category ranges from 70 to 79, while streets with PCI scores in the 'fair' (60-69) range are becoming worn to the point where rehabilitation may be needed to prevent rapid deterioration. Because major repairs cost five to 10 times more than routine maintenance, these streets are at an especially critical stage. Roadways with PCI scores of 50 to 59 are deemed 'at-risk,' while those with PCI scores of 25 to 49 are considered 'poor.' These roads require major rehabilitation or reconstruction. Pavement with a PCI score below 25 is considered 'failed.'"

While the MTC found the Bay Area as a whole was "stuck in neutral," with a regional PCI score of 67, several North Bay communities made forward progress since 2022, the report found.

Larkspur, which rated in the "poor" range as recently as 2017, had the highest single-year PCI score of 89 for 2023, and tied Orinda and Palo Alto at the top of the list for three-year moving averages at 83. The MTC noted voters approved local tax measures twice in recent years to fund the overhaul of the city's 65 miles of streets.

Elsewhere in the North Bay, Petaluma, Cotati, Moraga, Dixon, Larkspur, Richmond and St. Helena recorded gains of four or more points.

"Napa County's improvement is an encouraging sign," said Alfredo Pedroza, the MTC chair. "But our county roadways are still among the lowest rated in the Bay Area and MTC's goal of having all the region's streets and roads in a state of good repair is proving to be frustratingly hard to reach. The good news is that city and county public works teams have been able to prevent large-scale deterioration. We're even seeing big improvements in some places. The bad news is there's still so far to go."

As the East Bay Times notes, rising costs for materials and labor have created financial roadblocks in some jurisdictions, while less populated, wealthier cities with smaller road networks tend to be better maintained. The six municipalities with the highest three-year PCI scores were Larkspur, Orinda, Palo Alto, Cupertino and Hillsborough, along with unincorporated Solano County.

>> Learn more about the 2023 pavement condition index on the MTC website.