In 2023 Bay Area streets had an average PCI of 67, indicating “fair” regional pavement conditions overall
San Francisco County had the highest pavement quality of the region's counties in 2023, with an average PCI of 74
The cities of Larkspur, Orinda and Palo Alto had the highest pavement quality of the region's cities in 2023, with an average PCI of 83
Introduction
How well are we maintaining our local streets?
The Bay Area’s local streets and roads form the foundation of the regional transportation system, providing access to jobs, homes, schools, shopping and recreation for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike. Investing resources to preserve these facilities is essential to avoid new potholes and other roadway hazards. While pavement conditions in the region have remained remarkably stable on a year-to-year basis, actions to maintain local streets are evident on the city and county levels.
Regional Performance
The regional average PCI score held steady at 67 in 2023, with roads in the region rated as “fair” overall.
Regionwide, street pavement conditions have generally remained stable from 2019 to 2023, with a consistent PCI score of 67 throughout this period. While local governments continue to work to improve their pavement condition, aging infrastructure remains a challenge for the region.
While pavement conditions across the region largely have been stable in recent years, performance gains are more evident at the county level. San Francisco and Marin counties had the biggest improvements in PCI from 2019 to 2023, gaining three and one points, respectively. Most counties' pavement condition worsened over this period, however: Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Solano and Napa counties' pavement condition declined by one to three points.
Santa Clara County had the second highest pavement quality of the region's counties in 2023, with an average PCI of 71
Sonoma County had the region's greatest improvement in average pavement quality between 2019 and 2023, gaining three points
Historical Trend for Street Pavement Condition
Regional Distribution
Pavement condition in most cities has changed only marginally in recent years.
The majority of Bay Area cities and towns have seen minimal shifts in their pavement conditions in recent years. For example, many of the region’s most populous cities – including San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland and Fremont – have only shifted by a few PCI points from 2019 – 2023. In fact, 49% of Bay Area cities have seen minimal shifts (two or fewer points) in their pavement condition from 2019 to 2023.
Yet there have also been some success stories, particularly in smaller suburban jurisdictions like Larkspur, Cotati and Orinda where PCI scores have improved by 31, 12 and 8 points respectively from 2019 – 2023.
of Bay Area cities have seen minimal shifts (two or fewer points) in their pavement condition from 2019 to 2023
Bay Area cities had no change in pavement condition between 2019 and 2023
Street Pavement Condition Distribution by City (2023)
Local Focus
Pavement conditions vary widely from city to city.
San Jose, which has by far the largest street network in the Bay Area at nearly 4,500 lane-miles, climbed into the “good” range in 2023 with a three-year moving average score of 71, up two points from 69 in the 2020-22 period. San Francisco’s three-year moving average score held steady at 74 in 2023. Oakland’s three-year moving average rose by three points to 57, but the city’s single-year score fell by a point to 56 from 57 in 2022.
Communities with big year-over-year improvements in their PCI scores include Cotati, Moraga, Dixon, Larkspur, Richmond and St. Helena. Larkspur’s one-year PCI score for 2023 now ranks as the highest of any Bay Area municipality at 89, and its three-year moving average score of 83 is tied with Orinda and Palo Alto at the top of the Bay Area charts. Larkspur as recently as 2017 registered one-year scores in the “poor” range, but twice in recent years passed local sales tax measures dedicated to rehabilitating the city’s 65 lane-miles of streets.
The cities of Larkspur, Orinda, and Palo Alto had the highest pavement quality of the region's cities in 2023, with an average PCI of 83
The City of Larkspur has had the region's largest improvement, with an increase in PCI of 31 between 2019 and 2023
Street Pavement Condition by City and by Street Segment (2023)
Sources & Methodology
Pavement condition index (PCI) relies upon a three-year moving average for regional, county and city PCI to improve the reliability of the PCI data on an annual basis. Segment PCI data is collected on a rolling basis but is imputed for interim years based on facility age and treatments using the MTC StreetSaver(R) system.
Metropolitan Transportation Commission: StreetSaver (2019-2023)
Metropolitan Transportation Commission: PCI Press Release (2024)