Bay Area roads are the worst in the nation, new report finds

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Potholes are costing Bay Area drivers a lot of money, and according to a new study we have some of the worst roads in the nation.

A drive up Harold Street in Oakland will rattle your teeth and shake up your bones. To say nothing of the damage being done to your car as it's pounded by the pavement. It's no surprise that the transportation research and innovation portal in Washington D.C. just named Bay Area roads as the worst in the nation.

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In the Bay Area, the San Francisco-Oakland area, they have the roughest roads. 71-percent are in poor condition. Of course that's not news for the drivers on those roads every day," said Carolyn Bonifas, Director of Research with TRIP.

"The potholes, oh man, it's terrible. My tires here, it's messing up my car, the potholes," Robert White from Oakland said.

The study estimated the bumpy roads cost drivers over $1,000 a year in repairs and tires.

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"A lot of cracked wheels. When you crack a wheel you really can't fix it you have to replace a wheel so it can get very expensive," Romeo Cervantes with Tires Direct in Lafayette said.

At tires direct, they're used to dealing with pothole damage. Ramon Lopez drives a lot for work. He says some Bay Area roads make you feel like you're in a third world country. He believes potholes cause accidents.

"You have to pay attention to the streets you're driving on and the pavement instead of paying attention to cars and the pedestrians," Lopez said.

The transportation study blames the road conditions on lack of funding. California raised the gas tax last year by 12 cents a gallon to patch potholes but it's facing a possible repeal through Prop 6 on the November ballot.

For more stories, photos, and videos on potholes, go here.