Hawai'i's major roads and highways are some of the roughest rides in the nation, according to a new report, which estimates that rutted thoroughfares cost each Hawai'i driver about $500 a year in vehicle repairs, accelerated wear and tear and increased fuel consumption.

The report, released yesterday, highlights how roadway conditions cost drivers, businesses — and lives. The study warns that the situation will only get worse unless the state can secure more funding to address backlogged repairs and an aging roadway system.

"The future of Hawai'i's roads, bridges and transportation network is now being placed in jeopardy by insufficient state and local funding and the threat of federal cuts," said Will Wilkins, executive director of TRIP, a national transportation research group that issued the report. "This funding shortfall has left the state's drivers with a network of roads and bridges that are increasingly deteriorated and congested."

The report found that about 43 percent of the state's bridges are deficient or obsolete, and 45 percent of Hawai'i's major roadways are congested.

About 27 percent of major roads statewide are rated in poor condition (as of 2007), giving Hawai'i the fourth-highest share of roads in poor condition in the nation (behind only New Jersey, California and Rhode Island).

In all, about 71 percent of Hawai'i's major roads were rated either mediocre or poor.

At a news conference yesterday with Wilkins, state Department of Transportation director Brennon Morioka said that "nothing in the report was a surprise."

"You really don't need a report to tell people they're sitting in traffic," Morioka said. "You don't need a report to tell them they're running over a whole bunch of potholes. They know. They drive it every day."

RAISING FEES, TAXES

The study comes as the state is facing a deepening fiscal crisis, so there are big questions about how the DOT will address a long list of deteriorating roads and bridges.

DOT officials say they hope the report bolsters support for the state's $4 billion highway modernization plan, about half of which would be paid for with increases in vehicle registration fees and fuel and weight taxes.

The plan, meant to revamp the major arteries commuters use, stalled in the last legislative session when lawmakers didn't pass a bill that would have authorized the tax and fee increases.

The other half of the plan would be funded with state and federal dollars.

Morioka said he hasn't given up on the plan, and will return in the coming session to try to get the increases passed.

"I think this report clearly justifies the need for our highways modernization bill," he said.

The TRIP study was compiled from information provided by the DOT, along with other federal and state statistics.

TRIP, a Washington, D.C-based nonprofit, is issuing similar reports on about 30 other states to showcase the challenges facing the nation's transportation network in coming years.

The group gets its funding from insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, businesses involved in highway construction and labor unions.

According to the report, pavement conditions on urban roads are some of the worst in the state.

Some 61 percent of highways and major roadways in urban Honolulu were rated in poor condition. For urban drivers, that translates into an extra $688 a year on average they have to pay in vehicle operating costs for repairs and wear and tear, the report says.

A road in poor condition is defined as having signs of deterioration, including rutting, cracks and potholes. Roads in mediocre condition show signs of wear and tear and may also have visible pavement distress.

Urban drivers also face worsening congestion.

The average Honolulu driver wastes 26 hours a year in traffic delays because of congestion, the study says. The annual cost of congestion to an average Honolulu driver is $514 in lost time and fuel.

"Traffic congestion in Hawai'i's largest urban areas," the report concludes, "is likely to worsen significantly unless the state is able to improve its transportation system."

DEADLY RURAL ROADS

Also of significant concern is the rural traffic fatality rate, which is nearly four times the fatality rate for all other roads in the state, according to the study.

In 2008, Hawai'i's traffic fatality rate for rural roads was 2.52 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles of travel. On all other roads and highways, the traffic fatality rate was 0.64 per 100 million vehicle miles.

From 2004 to 2008, 688 people died in car crashes statewide, an average of 138 fatalities a year.

Meanwhile, Hawai'i's bridges are also aging and need attention.

In 2008, 31 percent of the state's bridges were rated functionally obsolete, which means they no longer meet current highway design standards because of narrow lanes, inadequate clearances or poor alignment. And by 2017, 60 of the 773 state-maintained bridges will need significant repairs, reconstruction or replacement.

Already, 12 percent of Hawai'i's bridges are rated structurally deficient because of deterioration of the deck, supports or other major components.

"Bottom line: For all this, you need to invest," said Panos Prevedouros, immediate past president of the Hawaii Highway Users Alliance.

Prevedouros added that ducking the repairs will only mean bigger costs — to the state and drivers — through more congestion, more wear and tear on vehicles and even closed roadways and bridges.

TRIP officials say many other states are also trying to play catch-up with deteriorating roads and bridges, after years of underfunding maintenance and repairs.

"Certainly, Hawai'i is not alone in this situation," said TRIP spokeswoman Carolyn Bonifas. "There's been a funding crunch nationwide. It is important that something be done sooner rather than later."

The report points out that though plenty of problems need to be addressed, many significant improvements have been made over the past decade.

From 1998 to 2008, Hawai'i got $1.8 billion in federal funding for road, highway and bridge improvements. That accounts for about 44 percent of all revenues used by the DOT to pay for road, highway and bridge construction, repairs and maintenance.