The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is a Rhode Island state government agency charged with construction, maintenance and inspection of a wide range of transportation infrastructure. These include 1,102 miles (2,908 lane miles) of state roads and highways, 772 bridges, and 777 traffic signals. Additionally, RIDOT has constructed a 50-mile (80 km) network of off-road bike paths and signed more than 90 miles (140 km) of on-road bike routes across the state.
Rhode Island ports are handled by the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, airports in Rhode Island are overseen by the subsidiary R.I. Airport Corporation, and passenger train service is operated by Amtrak (a federal semi-public corporation) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (a state agency of Massachusetts). Through the 1989 Pilgrim Partnership Agreement RIDOT financed construction of the Boston-bound MBTA commuter rail service into Providence and beyond (see Providence/Stoughton Line). Driver's licenses and motor vehicle registrations are the responsibility of the R.I. Division of Motor Vehicles, an office of the Rhode Island Department of Revenue. Two large bridges, the Claiborne Pell (Newport) Bridge and the Mount Hope Bridge, are under the responsibility of the R.I. Turnpike and Bridge Authority.
Presently, the State of Rhode Island has one of the highest proportion of structurally deficient bridges in the United States. According to a report by Transportation 4 America, nearly 68 percent of Rhode Island roads are rated in poor or mediocre condition, and 1 in 5 bridges in the state are structurally deficient – the fourth highest of any state. Additionally, the Providence Viaduct on Interstate 95 and the Route 10-Route 6 junction have structural deficiencies and require significant rehabilitation.
RIDOT's Annual Report offers an overview of recently completed and ongoing projects as well as information on departments within RIDOT.
Read more about Rhode Island Department Of Transportation: See Also
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