Novato Roads Are In Fair Condition, MTC Report Finds

NOVATO, CA — Pavement conditions in Novato have worsened from "good" to "fair" since 2018, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has found.

Each year, the MTC studies the Bay Area's nearly 44,000 lane-miles of local streets and roads, and in a report scores each city and county's roads from 0-100.

Numbers for 2020 were released in the MTC's report last month, and Novato was given a 68 — putting the city in the "fair" category. That number is a deterioration for Novato, as in 2019 the city's roads earned a score of 69, and in 2018, a 70 (scores of 70-79 are in the "good" category, while scores of 60-69 are "fair").

Marin County earned a score of 65, putting it in the "fair" category. Conditions in the Bay Area as a whole are "fair" as well, as its overall score was 67 — for the fifth consecutive year, the report found.

"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."

In a news release, officials said the typical stretch of Bay Area roadway is "showing serious wear" and will likely need rehabilitation soon.

Pedroza said the MTC's goal is to raise the region's average pavement condition index score into the mid-80s.

"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," Pedroza said.

Read the full report here.