INQUIRER: Bad roads cost the average Philadelphia-area driver about $1,500 a year because of added vehicle maintenance, extra gas, time lost in traffic jams, and the cost of traffic crashes, according to a study released Tuesday. The study, by a research group sponsored by insurance companies, labor unions, and construction companies, concluded that Pennsylvania’s deteriorated roads and bridges cost drivers statewide about $8.2 billion a year. The study cited eight busy bridges in the Philadelphia area as prime examples of deficient spans, including the Platt Bridge, the Chestnut Street bridge at 30th Street, and the Passyunk Avenue drawbridge over the Schuylkill. The study also said 59 percent of urban highways in the region were congested, costing the average Philadelphia driver 38 hours a year stuck in traffic jams. The total cost of congestion and deficient roads and bridges is $1,474 a year for the average motorist in the Philadelphia area, the report said. MORE