Under McKee, RI’s Bridges Continue to Be Ranked Among the Worst in the Country
GoLocalProv News Team
Under McKee, RI’s Bridges Continue to Be Ranked Among the Worst in the Country
In 2015, the condition of Rhode Island’s bridges was ranked among the worst in the country.
Now, nearly a decade later, Alviti remains, and the condition of Rhode Island's bridges consistently ranks in the bottom five states in America. McKee reappointed Alviti earlier this year; in March, the Senate confirmed him.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTToday, Rhode Island’s roads and bridges are ranked by national engineering societies, non-profits, and transportation groups as the worst or among the bottom five.
Better Roads Bridge Inventory, an annual survey conducted since 1979 to examine the condition of the nation’s bridges, ranks Rhode Island at the bottom or near the bottom in multiple categories.
Rhode Island ranks as the state with the fewest "good" bridges and among the highest "poor" bridges.
States with the highest percentage of bridges rated "poor:"
1. West Virginia – One-fifth of the bridges in the state (20.22%) are rated poor. That’s a slight drop from 2020’s 21%, but not enough to raise it from being the state with the highest percentage of poor rated bridges in the country.
2. Iowa – Maintains its position at second-highest with a slight drop from 19.1% to 18.87%.
3. South Dakota – Dropped in the rankings from fourth-highest in 2020 with 17.7% of bridges rated poor to third-highest. The state reported 17.43% of its bridges rated poor in 2021.
4. Rhode Island – The state continues its rise from last place, where it ranked in 2019 and for many years prior. In 2020, it moved up to third-highest, and this year it has risen to fourth-highest, at 17.33%. That’s a drop from 18.4% in 2020.
5. Pennsylvania – The state continues to reduce its number of poor rated bridges, but not enough to raise its rank in this category. It reported 13.83% of its bridges rated poor, which is a drop from 14.6% in 2020.
States with the lowest percentage of bridges rated as good:
1. Rhode Island – 21.69%
2. Hawaii – 22.81%
3. West Virginia – 23.27%
4. Massachusetts – 25.19%
5. Idaho – 25.84%
States with the highest percentage of bridge decks rated "poor:"
1. District of Columbia – 34.21%
2. Rhode Island – 19.47%
3. West Virginia – 14.51%
4. Illinois – 12.21%
5. Massachusetts* – 11.27%
The American Society of Civil Engineers' Infrastructure Report Card for 2021 gives Rhode Island a D- for the condition of its bridges.
“Rhode Island is home to the highest percentage of structurally deficient (SD) bridges in the country. In 2019, 22.3 % of bridges were structurally deficient and Rhode Island residents and out-of-state drivers crossed these bridges a combined average of nearly four million times a day. In an effort to reverse decades of underinvestment, the state established a sweeping program, RhodeWorks, designed to make significant upfront investments in road and bridge infrastructure. The program is funded through a combination of new truck tolls and innovative financing tools. By utilizing an asset management approach that includes condition reports and life cycle forecasting, RIDOT is prioritizing improvements and updating the department’s inventory to a state of good repair. Modest progress has been observed during the first three years of the program; the number of SD bridges decreased from 192 in 2016 to 174 in 2019.”
The RhodeWorks program funding scheme — truck tolls — has been ruled unconstitutional and a violation of the “commerce clause,” in federal court. Rhode Island is appealing the decision.
The Reason Foundation report ranks RI #42, but finds that the state the condition of the bridges ranks Rhode Island 48th.
“Finally, 17.46% of Rhode Island’s bridges are structurally deficient, 3.3 times more than Connecticut’s percent and 2.5 times more than New Jersey’s percent,” according to the Reason Foundation report.
Problems Across the State
In 2021, the head of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority hit the panic button calling on federal and state officials to take action to immediately take repair steps to stop the decay on the Mount Hope Bridge.
The immediate need is $35 million and without prompt attention, the costs could climb dramatically to upwards of $1 billion for replacement, she says.
In a letter to the Rhode Island Congressional delegations secured by GoLocal, Lori Caron Silveira, Executive Director of the Authority warned, “The cables and anchorages of the 92-year-old Mount Hope Bridge urgently need dehumidification if the Mount Hope is to remain structurally safe and able to continue serving the East Bay and interstate commerce.”