Study: R.I. third worst roads in country

FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF Rhode Island's roads are in poor condition, according to an analysis by TRIP, a national transportation research group. / COURTESY THE WASHINGTON POST
FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF Rhode Island's roads are in poor condition, according to an analysis by TRIP, a national transportation research group. / COURTESY THE WASHINGTON POST

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranks as having the third worst roads in the country, according to an analysis by TRIP, a national transportation research group.
According to the study, which was reported in the Washington Post, 45 percent of the urban roads in Rhode Island are in poor condition, behind only Washington, D.C., at 92 percent and California at 51 percent.
In comparison, Massachusetts has only percent of roads in poor condition, while Florida has the least at 7 percent.
The article states that the numbers from TRIP show that 28 percent of the nation’s major roadways are in “poor” condition, meaning that they need to be completely rebuilt and cannot be resurfaced. As a result, it costs drivers on average an extra $515 a year, as poor roads wear tires away faster and decrease gas mileage, the article states.
In Rhode Island, the cost for drivers is even higher, at an extra $637 per year. Washington, D.C., drivers can expect to pay approximately $1,000 extra a year, and California drivers, $762. Massachusetts drivers are expected to pay an extra $412.
The Post article blames the bad road conditions on a lack of money being put into the Highway Trust Fund. It said that the federal gasoline tax has remained at 1993 levels, which is one of the reasons why not enough money has been placed in the fund.
In Rhode Island, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo had proposed tolls on state highways and interstates for tractor-trailers through the Rhode Works program, but it did not survive the budget process. The program would have financed repairs to the state’s bridges and transportation system.
Rhode Island, according to TRIP, also has 56 percent of bridges structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. TRIP also stated that 37 percent of Rhode Island’s major urban highways are congested, and that traffic congestion costs Americans $121 billion a year in “wasted time and fuel costs.”
And, it said travel on Rhode Island’s highways increased by 11 percent from 1990 to 2013, as the population increased 5 percent during that time.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Sad, but true. And, what about the Sub urban/rural roads?

    And, what is the average $ cost/mile spent to repair these roads, as compared with other states with similar conditions?

  2. Sad, but true. And, what about the Sub urban/rural roads?

    And, what is the average $ cost/mile spent to repair these roads, as compared with other states with similar conditions?