Does Rhode Island deserve its reputation for having among the worst roads in the nation?

PBN Staff

11/18/2022

BAD ROADS: Local communities are responsible for keeping track of their own road-repair projects. An effort in the late 1980s to ensure consistent pavement quality for local roads failed once state funding ran out. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO — ARE RHODE ISLAND roads really among the worst in the nation? The state was recently ranked third worst for potholes in the U.S. based on internet searches on pothole-related complaints. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

A new yearlong study of internet searches on pothole-related complaints ranks Rhode Island third worst in the nation.

The Nov. 14 study from QuoteWizard by Lendingtree found Michigan had the most complaints about potholes, with Indiana second worst. Washington and Vermont were fourth and fifth respectively.

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Providence, ranked 45th, was one of three New England cities listed among 50 nationally for pothole problems. Burlington, Vt., ranked 10th and Boston was 34th.

While internet searches alone may not be convincing, ConsumerAffairs last year in a more extensive study ranked the state’s road conditions as the worst in the country. That December 2021 report looked at residents’ feedback from email surveys, road scores by the Federal Highway Administration, data on the fatal car crashes and the amount of money each state spends per mile of highways.