Report: RI's Rural Roads Second-Worst in the Country

Rhode Island has the second-worst rural roads in the country, according to a report by a national transportation research firm.

TRIP looked at federal data from the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its report, which states that 32 percent of Rhode Island’s rural roads are classified as “poor.”

Only Michigan fared worse than the Ocean State. Rhode Island is followed by Hawaii, Idaho and Kansas to round out the worst five states.

The report states that states should aim for a goal of 75 percent of its roads in good condition. Nationwide, only 42 percent are considered to be in good condition as of 2013.

In Rhode Island, 55 percent of roads are considered to be in mediocre of fair condition. Just 13 percent are “good.”

Rhode Island also ranks second-worst in terms of bridges, with 23 percent of rural bridges deemed structurally deficient.

View the full report HERE.

It’s not as if state and local officials are oblivious to the problem. The problem has been compounded by severe winter weather, flooding, chronic underfunding and budget constraints at the local level.

Peter Alviti, the new director for the state DOT, told WPRI in his first interview that Rhode Island is in a “critical state” in terms of infrastructure.