By Travis Gettys
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Substandard roads and bridges cost each Northern Kentucky motorist an average of $1,226 a year, according to a study conducted by a national transportation research organization.

That figure includes expenses from traffic accidents, vehicle operating costs and congestion-related delays, said Carolyn Bonifas, research and communications specialist for The Road Information Project.

Bonifas presented the nonprofit group's findings Thursday to a group of elected officials at the invitation of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

"She reinforced what we already knew," said Jim Parsons, deputy Boone County judge executive. "We need road improvements."

Poor roads cost Kentuckians more than $2 billion each year in lost productivity, Bonifas said.

"Kentucky's road conditions are deteriorating, and have been deteriorating for the past several years," she said.

A 2002 survey by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet rated about 17 percent of the state's roads as being in poor condition, while only 13 percent ranked as low in 1996.

In addition, nearly one-third of the state's bridges are in need of repair or replacement, Bonifas said, and 21 percent are functionally obsolete.

Parsons said a direct correlation exists between high-quality roads and revenues generated, a point he said local officials tried to make clear last week during a visit by transportation secretary Maxwell C. Bailey.

Every dollar spent on street and highway improvements provides $5.40 in economic benefits, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

"It's not too smart to skimp on transportation," said Campbell County Judge Executive Steve Pendery. "Business is what pays the bills."

A budget crunch has hamstrung road projects throughout the state, and elected officials must make tough decisions, Pendery said.

One plan, supported by the chamber of commerce, would raise taxes on gasoline to pay for transportation projects.

"We simply cannot progress as a community without some major improvements," said Gary Toebben, chamber of commerce president.

Nearly half of state-maintained highways in Northern Kentucky were deemed moderately or severely congested during peak hours, according to a 2002 study by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Congestion increases fuel costs and decreases efficiency for trucking and other services, Bonifas said, and costs individual motorists $510 each year.

"That's $510 you could be spending definitely in a better way," she said.

However, Bonifas stopped short of making recommendations.

"We just put the information out there and then it's up to the legislative officials and residents," she said.

E-mail tgettys@enquirer.com