Pep Boys\u2019 \u201cWorst Roads in America\u201d study<\/a>, drivers in the Orlando area shell out for more road-related repairs than their counterparts in the 35 metro regions analyzed.<\/p>\nThe study looked at service data from hundreds of Pep Boys tire and auto service centers across the U.S. and found Orlando shops had higher-than-average numbers of wheel alignments, suspension work and single-tire replacements.<\/p>\n
Those components \u201care basically the first line of defense between the vehicle and the pavement,\u201d said regional company spokesman Jean-Pierre Issa. \u201cThey absorb the impact when roads are uneven and deteriorating, which is why we see them most commonly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local transportation officials were wary of the study, although they acknowledge that many local roads need work. It analyzes service data exclusively from Pep Boys, which has around 800 locations nationwide but only operates in 35 states. Florida is one of the company\u2019s largest markets, with Central Florida alone having about 80 locations.<\/p>\n
Mary Ann Horne, spokesperson for Metro Plan Orlando, the region\u2019s transportation planning agency, said in an email that more data from various auto repair companies would be necessary before bestowing the region with the title of \u2018worst in America.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to see the direct connection between road condition and car repairs at one commercial outlet,\u201d Horne said in an email. \u201cMany factors can be at play for these \u2018road-related repairs\u2019 that the company cites.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orlando spokeswoman Andrea Otero said the city wasn\u2019t part of the study and \u201ccannot verify its findings.\u201d But she added the city is making historic investments to improve streets with this year\u2019s budget, allocating $7.5 million for roadway pavement rehabilitation, more funding than ever before.<\/p>\n
On Summerlin Avenue, for example, the city and the Orlando Utilities Commission are \u201creplacing aging infrastructure and fully rebuilding the roadway from the base up, including new asphalt or brick paving to provide a smoother, more consistent driving experience,\u201d Otero said.<\/p>\n
Pep Boys would not share specific numbers such as the total amount of repairs or how much was spent on them, due to what Issa said was the sensitive nature of the \u201cexclusive first-party information collected through our service centers.\u201d But he said service records from September 2024 to September 2025 show Orlando drivers visited Pep Boys more frequently for those specific repairs than drivers in its other 34 metros.<\/p>\n
The unique combination of frequent rainfall, large construction zones like those on Interstate 4, heat, and heavy commuter and tourist traffic all contribute to Orlando\u2019s poor road conditions, Issa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida roads face a unique environmental pressure,\u201d Issa said. \u201cIn particular, heat really softens the asphalt, and the heavy rains that we get seasonally accelerate the cracking in roads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida dominated the Pep Boys list, with Panama City, the Tampa Bay area, West Palm Beach and Tallahassee all in the top ten and Miami\u2013Ft. Lauderdale and Pensacola in the top 21.<\/p>\n
Central Florida drivers are absorbing the cost of road related car repairs that vary based on the size, age and model of the vehicle. The average price of a tire today is between $150 and upwards of $300. But if needed repairs are more extensive, such as a suspension replacement, it can cost anywhere between $400 to more than $1500, Issa said.<\/p>\n
Orange County invested $100 million on transportation improvements in 2023, with about 19 county road projects currently in the design phase, according to the county\u2019s online transportation dashboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to working tirelessly with our limited budgeting to make roads as safe and functional as we can for our users,\u201d said Darrell Moody, spokesperson for Orange County.<\/p>\n
Roadway safety and maintenance are also top priorities for Seminole County, spokesman Andy Wontor said, citing 24 completed roadway and bridge projects and 56 miles of resurfaced roadways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many a Central Florida driver navigating around potholes or bumpy pavement might describe the region\u2019s roads as bad.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,114,266,115,1335,139,141,140,1976,1014,109,76686,1798],"class_list":{"0":"post-184025","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-florida","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-orange-county","13":"tag-orlando","14":"tag-orlando-headlines","15":"tag-orlando-news","16":"tag-osceola-county","17":"tag-seminole-county","18":"tag-social","19":"tag-social-business","20":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}