Pinole, Hercules Roads: How They Rank Next To Rest Of Bay Area

PINOLE AND HERCULES, CA — Pinole and Hercules roads are neither the best nor the worst in the Bay Area, a recent analysis found.

The city of Pinole's 119 miles of roads ranked in the "at-risk" category while the 122 miles of roads in the city of Hercules ranked in the "fair" category, according to the latest report on local road pavement conditions by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees transportation planning for the nine-county Bay Area.

Pinole roads scored 59 out of a possible 100 points, down 3 points from last year, while Hercules roads scored 67 as they have for the last three years.

Roads deemed "fair" — in the 60-69 range — are becoming worn to the point where rehabilitation may be needed to prevent rapid deterioration, the commission reported.

Roads deemed "at-risk" — in the 50-59 range — may soon require major rehabilitation or reconstruction.

Bay Area roads in general scored 67 out of a possible 100 points on average for the fifth consecutive year, according to the report.

The report reflected the average of data from the past three years. The most recent report included data from 2020 and was released late last year.

The highest-scoring cities were Cupertino (score of 85), Dublin (84) and Palo Alto (84).

The lowest scorers were Pacifica (42), Petaluma (44) and unincorporated Napa County (45).

"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."

No areas ranked in the "excellent" category, with 90 points or higher, which would indicate roads were newly built or resurfaced.

"Local streets and roads money from the SB 1 transportation package is helping counties and cities hold the line against deterioration, but our goal at MTC is to raise the region’s average PCI score into the mid-80s," Pedroza said. "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."

Here's how Contra Costa County fared.

• Brentwood: score of 81, 425 miles of road
• Clayton: score of 81, 94 miles of road
• Orinda: score of 81, 187 miles of road
• Danville: score of 80, 324 miles of road
• San Ramon: score of 78, 503 miles of road
• El Cerrito: score of 76, 137 miles of road
• Oakley: score of 76, 293 miles of road
• Lafayette: score of 75, 199 miles of road
• Moraga: score of 74, 113 miles of road
• Walnut Creek: score of 73, 435 miles of road
• San Pablo: score of 71, 104 miles of road
• Unincorporated Contra Costa County: score of 71, 1,337 miles of road
• Pleasant Hill: score of 67, 225 miles of road
• Hercules: score of 67, 122 miles of road
• Antioch: score of 66, 685 miles of road
• Martinez: score of 64, 233 miles of road
• Richmond: score of 63, 576 miles of road
• Pittsburg: score of 61, 343 miles of road
• Concord: score of 59, 716 miles of road
• Pinole: score 59, 119 miles of road

As a whole, Contra Costa County's 7,178 roads scored 70, putting it in the "fair" category.

The report "underscores the continuing challenges faced by cities’ and counties’ public works departments," the commission said in a statement.

The challenge is particularly great for local governments in areas with roads deemed to be in "poor" condition, with a score of 25 to 49 points.

"Because major repairs cost five to 10 times more than routine maintenance, these streets are at an especially critical stage," the commission said.

When it comes to the Bay Area's biggest cities, Oakland isn't far from the "poor" category. It ranked in the "at risk" category, with 54 points, up from 53 points in 2019.

San Francisco sat squarely in the "good" category, with 74 points. San Jose's roads were ranked as "fair," with 66 points.

View the complete 2020 ranking.