Report: Poor Roads In Minnesota Cost The Average Driver Over $500 Each Year

People that live in Minnesota like to complain about road construction, but we like to complain about potholes and bad roads even more. Those poor roads, according to a new study, cost the average Minnesota driver over $500 each year.

A report from the national transportation research nonprofit TRIP that was published earlier this month explains that a sizable number of Minnesota's roads are in less than ideal condition and that comes with a personal cost to drivers on an annual basis.

The report from TRIP explains that a total of 35% of Minnesota's major roadways are considered to be in "poor or mediocre condition". They go on to say that 5% of Minnesota's bridges are in "poor or structurally deficient" condition, further noting that 27% of Minnesota's bridges are more than 50 years old. The half-century mark is reportedly as the typical timeframe when significant rehab or replacement is usually considered for bridges.

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The report explains that driving on these poor roads and bridges comes at a total cost of $1.8 billion annually to Minnesota's drivers. This works out to a depressing total of $543 per driver in the form of repairs, accelerated vehicle depreciation, increased fuel consumption, and extra tire wear.

While the report found that Minnesota's vehicle travel dropped by 37% in April of 2020 due to the pandemic and remained lower through much of the year, travel had returned to nearly pre-pandemic levels by March of 2021.

The study found that Minnesota's motorists travel a grand total of 60.7 billion miles each year and also goes on to explain that a sizable portion of the state's $474 billion in commodities shipped to and from Minnesota each year spend time on the state's roadways.