Bad Day For LA: Roads, Water Quality Among Worst In Nation

Two unsettling reports about LA's aging, crumbling infrastructure today. According to a report released by transportation research group TRIP, LA's roads rank among the worst in the nation. According to the study:

Roads, bridges and transit systems that are deficient, congested or lack desirable safety features cost the average Los Angeles motorist a total of $2,462 each year, a total of $40 billion statewide, due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays...
The TRIP report, "Future Mobility in California: The Condition, Use and Funding of California's Roads, Bridges and Transit System," finds that Los Angeles roads are the roughest in the nation, with 92 percent of major roads in the metro area in poor or mediocre condition. Among the most deteriorated roads in the Los Angeles area are Highland Avenue from Santa Monica Boulevard to Franklin Avenue in Los Angeles, and Route 5 from Beach Boulevard to the Los Angeles County Line in Buena Park.

LA's water quality also ranks among the worst in the nation, with the DWP ranked 83rd out of the nation's largest water agencies. ABC 7 reports that Janice Hahn "has requested an immediate report back from the DWP on the level of contaminants in the city's drinking water." In a feature on the outdated Safe Drinking Water Act, the NY Times writes of LA:

The water in some city reservoirs has contained contaminants that become likely cancer-causing compounds when exposed to sunlight.

To stop the carcinogens from forming, the city covered the surface of reservoirs, including one in the upscale neighborhood of Silver Lake, with a blanket of black plastic balls that blocked the sun.

On the brighter side, Christmas is next week and it's 75 degrees. You give and you take.

Comments

[Oldtimer]

04:06 PM on 12/20/2009

California should be leading the nation in financing inprovemen­ts
by legalizing mariguana, regulating it and taxing it.

[krugmaniac]

07:00 PM on 12/18/2009

Gee wonder why....run­away liberal spending on their pet projects? I really wish they'd use tax funds for this type of improvemen­t rather than their cross-coun­try trips and entitlemen­t care.

[mummbleswers]

08:51 PM on 12/18/2009

It's true - liberals spend like crazy on the wrong things and conservati­ves don't want to spend at all. You would think the republican­s in congress would have made suggestion­s on how to make sure the stimulus money went to more meaningful things but all they could suggest is: NO. There needs to be a 3rd party in this country that's actually viable.

[forestnfama]

04:58 AM on 12/21/2009

Are you crazy..... The repubs broke the bank with tax give aways and two wars. They are the most pathetic group of people here in America with the blue dogs sniffing their asses.

[sloreader]

06:57 PM on 12/18/2009

L.A. has been experienci­ng a major water main break about once or twice a week and it's fair to say the infrastruc­ture is not being maintained in a cost effective manner. Contractor­s and government workers are putting band-aids over bullet wounds all over the City so things will continue to deteriorat­e so long as the leadership continues to ignore real problems.

[coveark]

10:11 AM on 12/18/2009

LA has far better roads than Washington DC .

The air is cleaner than in the 1950's due to emmission regulation and probably cleaner running cars.

The Eastern Sierra water is very clean.

The city is crowded and has sprawl maximo.

Plastic balls on reservors ?? I wonder what the outcome of that will bein years to come??

[MicheleCA]

01:14 AM on 12/19/2009

About the reservoir balls--wou­ld think they would leech some petroleum based baddies into the water when the sun breaks them down.

[coveark]

08:50 AM on 12/19/2009

sounds possible..­..........­..

[JScott]

04:23 PM on 12/19/2009

Then don't use beach balls at pools and such or inflatable toys.

Eventually these open reservoirs will be decomissio­ned, If they didn't cover it they would have to resort to even more expensive water treatment (over and above what's done now) before it enters the water distributi­on system. It's still being decided what that whole reservoir complex will be once decomissed­, a valley, a decorative water feature etc. stay tuned.

[JScott]

04:27 PM on 12/19/2009

The air is indeed much cleaner that I remember it growing up in the 50's-your eyes stung, the moon was shrouded in a brown pall at night, they made pe/no pe day recommenda­tions to local schools.
You can see Mt. Baldy more than you used to, very little brown pall, a lot of it is 'marine layer' esp. in May and June-thus the June Gloom and May Gray local weather terms.

[coveark]

06:13 PM on 12/19/2009

I grew up in Walnut....­........wh­en I ever get out there and get to see Mt Baldy.....­.......I just love it........­.....

[JScott]

09:05 AM on 12/18/2009

Roads are not the best but I've seen worse in other large urban areas like NYC and Detroit.
I guess there not as bad here because the weather spares em. But the Long Beach Fwy is the worst-all those heavy trucks.

As for water, I have never gotten sick from it, most of the time it tastes ok, on occasion it tastes like it's drawn from the mucky bottom of the tank/reser­voir tho. I've tasted water in many other places and it's pretty bad-Renton Wa. Phx. Az, Austin Tx, San Antonio Tx, upstate NY--I'd take LA water over theirs anytime-It­'s from the east slope of the Sierras.

[fifteen pounds]

03:14 AM on 12/18/2009

It seems Los Angeles "peaked" around 1985 and has been on a quick down hill slide since then. Coincident­ally, immigratio­n, both illegal and legal, has escalated beyond the ability to deal with it on any level. Race has, once again, taken over where good leadership might make a difference­. Los Angeles has no genuine city government­, and the county, larger than most states, is run by merely 5 people with no real accountabi­lity. There is no strong mayor or city council system. There is no accountabi­lity anywhere in local government­. It is corrupted beyond redemption and the alliance with even more corrupt unions is only guaranteei­ng LA, once a great dynamic city, will soon join Detroit in portraying failures in American municipali­ties....we need a new form of governemtn here...so we can clean it up....

[defdes]

10:19 PM on 12/17/2009

I moved here 20 years ago, and I couldn't believe how great the roads were compared to NY. But, it doesn't seem like anything has been done since as now they are probably worse than the BQE.
I am done, just bought 30 acres in VT..... Anyone want to buy my $2mil. M1 industrial building in Venice?

[MotorcycleBoy]

08:25 PM on 12/17/2009

I was born and raised here, and it's true that L.A.'s seen better days.

Our tap water is nasty and our roads are crumbling.­..not to mention some of our other problems.

Here's to the legalizati­on of Marijuana in California in 2010. We desperatel­y need the money this will generate.

I've traveled around the US, and there's still no place else I'd rather live.

[easarsfield]

11:16 PM on 12/17/2009

I agree. The demand for marijuana is never going to diminish, and it's safer than alcohol. Time to lead the nation and legalize it, lord knows we need the cash - and people don't want their property taxes going up!

[whatajoke6]

05:45 AM on 12/18/2009

Amen to that

[Emlyn]

07:22 PM on 12/17/2009

I loved the last comment.

You know, folks, if you don't like LA, then go home.

[MicheleCA]

09:13 PM on 12/17/2009

PLEASE go home!

[fifteen pounds]

03:15 AM on 12/18/2009

sadly, this is home....an­d it is getting worse...