Report: Coachella Valley Roads Among Worst In Nation

Nearly half of roadways in the area between Indio and Palm Springs are in poor condition, according to data released today by a national transportation research group.

Coachella Valley roads were ranked the ninth worst among the nation’s regions with populations greater than 500,000, according to a report by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group which analyzes government data.

Pavement on 47 percent of highways and other major roads surveyed in 2008 in the Indio and Palm Springs area were in poor condition, the report states.

But David Barakian, city engineer and public works director in Palm Springs, said the report does not ring true for the city, where regular pavement surveys are done.

“(Our survey) doesn’t show that half our streets are in horrible condition,” Barakian said. “We all, every city, have some bad streets, but this is saying we have the ninth worst streets in the nation.”

Roadways in Riverside and San Bernardino were ranked 12th.

The majority of roads in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland were listed as having rough rides. But San Jose was ranked as the worst area in the nation, with 64 percent of its major roads in poor condition, according to the report.