According to a report released Tuesday by local government lobbyists most of California's roads are either 'at-risk' or in 'failing' condition.
They say basic repairs, without major rebuilding, would cost about $71 billion over the next 10 years, money that California just does not have.
But lobbyists say there is an upside to getting to work.
"They know that every $1 billion in highway roadway construction generates 18,000 jobs, so you can do the math on how much job creation would be involved," De Ann Baker of the State Association of Counties said.
Construction advocates say if projects do not start soon, taxpayers will end up paying as much as 10 times what they should to restore California's crumbling roads.
