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OKLAHOMA CITY – A transportation research group says roads in Oklahoma cost drivers in the state $4.9 billion a year because of higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays.

A report released Wednesday by the Washington, D.C.-based group The Road Information Project says 28 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads in Oklahoma are in poor condition and another 42 percent are in mediocre or fair condition. The report says deficient roads cost each Oklahoma City area driver $2,242 per year.

The report says almost 25 percent of Oklahoma’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Oklahoma highway officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.

The research group says spending more on transportation improvements would ease traffic congestion and support long-term economic growth in the state.