Report: R.I. has worst roads in U.S.

RHODE ISLAND has the worst roads in the nation, according to a report released Feb. 6 by Construction Coverage, a construction and home improvement website based in San Diego. / PBN FILE PHOTO / BRIAN MCDONALD

PROVIDENCE – The rage over Rhode Island’s infamous bad roads continues. 

A report released Feb. 6 by Construction Coverage, a construction and home improvement website based in San Diego, ranked the Ocean State as the worst in the nation. 

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Researchers studied data from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Statistics Series to determine which states had the worst roads. The International Roughness Index was used to classify poor, fair and good conditions of roadways. Overall data was scored across four areas: share of major roadways in poor condition, share of major roadways in fair condition, share of major roadways in good condition and daily vehicle miles traveled per capita. 

Data showed the Ocean State had the worst roads in the nation because 38.8% of its share of major roadways are in poor condition, 37.1% of its share of major roadways are in fair condition, 24% of its share of major roadways are in good condition and 17.8% of its daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita. 

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This isn’t the first study in which Rhode Island roads were ranked among the worst in the nation.  

ConsumerAffairs in December listed Rhode Island second in its ranking of the worst roads in the country, after Hawaii. That ranking was an improvement for the Ocean State. In 2021 ConsumerAffairs ranked Rhode Island as having the worst roads in the country. 

A yearlong study from QuoteWizard by LendingTree in November ranked Rhode Island as the third worst in the U.S. for potholes. 

New Jersey was found to have the second-worst roads in the nation, according to the Construction Coverage report. Data showed 36.4% of the Garden State’s major roadways in poor condition, 31.1% of its share of major roadways in fair condition, 32.5% of its share of major roadways in good condition and 20.5% of its daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita. 

Massachusetts was found to have the fourth-worst roads in the nation, behind California. The report found 29.5% of the Bay State’s major roadways in poor condition, 35.9% of its share of major roadways in fair condition, 34.6% of its share of major roadways in good condition and 21.6% of its daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita.  

Wyoming had the best roads in the nation, according to the report. Data showed only 3% of the state’s major roadways in poor condition, 23.1% of its share of major roadways in fair condition, 73.8% of its share of major roadways in good condition and 46.2% of its daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita. 

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