Why Are Boston’s Roads So Bad?

While many car accidents arise from impaired or distracted driving, a good number also result from poor road conditions. Boston is well-known for having confusing roads and street surfaces in general disrepair, which can be a dangerous combination.

Boston’s poor road conditions aren’t due to a single factor but rather a mix of historical, geographical, environmental, and maintenance-related issues. Whatever the causes, these conditions can cause or contribute to car accidents.

The poor shape of our city’s roads can breed congested traffic, enraged drivers, and catastrophic crashes. If you were hurt in a vehicle accident caused by another driver’s reckless or careless behavior, you shouldn’t have to pay for your own medical and other expenses. At DiBella Law Injury and Accident Lawyers, our Boston car accident lawyer will file a claim to pursue the compensation you deserve.

Historical and Geographical Factors

The main reason why Boston roads are atrocious is the city’s age. In fact, many of our existing roadways were originally designed and constructed before automobiles were invented. At that time, there was no central planning to make travel by vehicle an organized process.

Over the years, creating new roads was largely an ad hoc process. As new roads were needed to get from one place to another, people just built them without considering the city’s overall design.

Why are Boston roads so confusing? Even in grid-like areas, the lack of North-South or East-West orientation makes navigation challenging. Geography further complicates matters. The original hilly and marshy terrain influenced the creation of narrow, winding streets to avoid natural obstacles.

These historical and geographic factors combined to produce a collection of independent neighborhoods throughout Boston, such as Back Bay, Jamaica Plain, and South Boston. Each neighborhood has its own street patterns that don’t always align cohesively with the others, creating an often-baffling puzzle for drivers.

The Impact of Weather and Climate

Snow-covered and icy roads are common hazards during Boston’s harsh winter months. When roadways repeatedly freeze and thaw, water contracts and expands in the pavement, creating potholes and cracks. Heavy snow plowing and the use of salt on the roads also contribute to the wear and tear on the pavement surfaces.

Extreme storms and flooding linked to climate change are growing concerns in New England. These adverse weather events can damage roads, tunnels, and bridges, slowly weakening roadway materials.

The Strain of Traffic and Heavy Vehicles

High traffic volume combined with heavy vehicles has contributed to the poor road conditions in the Boston area. As a densely populated region, the city and the surrounding communities see significant traffic. This congestion results in greater stress and faster degradation of road surfaces.

Commercial trucks must share these roads with everyday drivers. When fully loaded, an 18-wheeler can weigh over 80,000 pounds. This weight can place significant stress on the road’s surfaces, causing cracks, potholes, and rutting or wheel grooves. Even the smallest and narrowest Boston roads see multiple delivery trucks daily, causing increasing damage to the asphalt.

No one enjoys traffic congestion or degraded roadways. Drivers must exercise additional patience and caution in these conditions. Potholes, crumbling pavement, icy streets, and gridlock can cause even the most patient driver to lose their focus or composure, prompting aggressive driving and the potential for dangerous accidents.

Challenges in Maintenance and Funding

It’s important to remember that Boston has been a vibrant and growing city for many years. More people on the roads means the potential for more gridlock and vehicle accidents, not to mention additional wear and tear on the area’s roadways. According to the City of Boston, there are approximately 800 miles of roads that require oversight and maintenance.

A city-sponsored study revealed that Boston’s population will likely grow 17 percent by 2030. At the same time, the city struggles with insufficient investment and delayed maintenance, exacerbating the poor condition of many roads and bridges.

Previous Chapter 90 bond allotments have failed to keep pace with construction needs. For example, the cost to repave just a single mile of roadway can exceed the annual Chapter 90 funding received by some towns, such as those in Franklin County.

Municipalities also face numerous budget priorities, and funding for road maintenance may be limited. For example, Proposition 2 1/2 allows additional tax levies but could restrict funding for yearly road maintenance. In some cases, local opposition to infrastructure projects has caused significant delays in improvements:

Residents of Cambridgeport and city councillors were upset that they were excluded from MassDOT’s planning of a $51 million construction project of the William J. Reid Overpass and Boston University Bridge rotary.
The City of Boston proposed implementing center-running bus lanes along Blue Hill Ave. to improve transit efficiency. However, some residents objected to the move, citing concerns about increased congestion and potential parking issues.

Even if towns and municipalities are addressing road issues in the Boston area, it may not be enough to solve the problems and prevent ongoing issues. For example, the increasing costs for materials such as cement and hot mix asphalt make it more expensive to perform necessary reconstruction and repairs. Unfortunately, using cheap pothole patches instead of durable resurfacing can cost even more over the long run and worsen roads.

Reporting and Addressing Road Issues

According to a recent case study by AAA, roughly 80 percent of Massachusetts roadways are under local jurisdictions, and more than 60 percent of serious injuries and fatalities happen on locally owned roadways. Determining where and how to report Boston road defects can be challenging.

Boston’s Public Works department is on the job year-round. During the winter, it fills potholes with temporary fixes and returns with more permanent solutions during the spring. You can also report potholes and road damage directly to the Public Works online or via an app or the 311 system.

In early 2025, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey released a plan for $8 billion in infrastructure investment to improve the state’s roads over the next decade. This historic proposal would enable the city to address deteriorated roadways and safety issues that plague some of Boston’s more dangerous intersections.

Injured Due to Poor Road Conditions or Defects? DiBella Law Can Help

The road defects and confusing streets in Boston aren’t your fault. If a frustrated or angry driver caused an accident on one of these roads and you were injured, you shouldn’t have to pay for it. Our legal team protects the rights of car accident victims throughout Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties.

If you were injured by a negligent driver, poor road conditions, potholes, or faulty street design, you may be entitled to compensation. Our firm has extensive experience handling these cases and has recovered millions of dollars in damages for our clients.

Road injuries can be complex. A skilled Boston personal injury lawyer can investigate the cause of your accident and seek to hold any responsible parties accountable. You won’t pay us anything unless we win your case.

Call (617) 870-0907 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.