Projo Biz Blog

By Bruce Landis
Journal staff writer

It may not surprise Rhode Island drivers, but the state's roads are in the third-worst condition in the nation, according to a new study by a national group of transportation officials.

More than two thirds of the state's major roads, the study says, are in either "poor" or "mediocre" condition.

State Transportation Director Michael P. Lewis said the study confirms what he has been saying for a long time: That the state's roads and bridges need a major infusion of money to catch up on repairs.

The group that did the study, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, used federal figures for 2007, which classify roads in four categories, poor, mediocre, fair and good.

Measured two ways, Rhode Island is third worst. Ranking the states by the percentage of roads in poor condition, Rhode Island comes in with that rank, with 32 percent of its roads in poor condition, after New Jersey and California.

Adding up poor and mediocre, Rhode Island again comes in third, with 68 percent of its roads falling into those categories. A different pair of states, New Jersey and Hawaii, are worse counting that way.

Only 18 percent of Rhode Island's roads were in good condition, the study says.

 Tags  Rhode Island roads

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