The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is a
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
state
government agency
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...
charged with design, construction, maintenance and inspection of a wide range of transportation infrastructure. These include 3,300 lane miles of
state roads and highways, 1,162 bridges, 777 traffic signals, and five rail stations. Additionally, RIDOT has constructed a network of off-road bike paths and signed more than of on-road bike routes across the state. Its headquarters are located in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
.
Rhode Island ports are handled by the R.I. Economic Development Corporation,
airports in Rhode Island
This is a list of airports in Rhode Island (a U.S. state), grouped by type and sorted by location. It contains all public-use and military airports in the state. Some private-use and former airports may be included where notable, such as airports t ...
are overseen by the subsidiary R.I. Airport Corporation,
and passenger train service is operated by
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
(a federal semi-public corporation) and the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
(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
The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Provi ...
). 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
The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island (northeastern United States). ...
and the
Mount Hope Bridge
The Mount Hope Bridge is a two-lane suspension bridge spanning the Mount Hope Bay in eastern Rhode Island at one of the narrowest gaps in Narragansett Bay. The bridge connects the Rhode Island towns of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Portsmouth and Bri ...
, 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
The Providence Viaduct refers to the two 4-lane bridges in each direction of Interstate 95 (I-95) that passes through downtown Providence, Rhode Island, in the United States. The structure passes over the Woonasquatucket River and Amtrak
...
on Interstate 95 and the Route 10-Route 6 junction have structural deficiencies and require significant rehabilitation.
History
The State Board of Public Roads was created in 1902 to oversee construction, improvement, and maintenance of state-owned roadways. Prior to the creation of the Rhode Island State Board of Public Roads, the monitoring and maintenance of public roads was scattered and localized.
In 1909 an Automobile division was introduced with the responsibility of registering vehicles, issuing plates, and handling other aspects of vehicle administration. This division would become a precursor to the current
Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles Rhode may refer to:
*In Greek mythology:
:*Rhodos, goddess and personification of the island of Rhodes
:*Rhode, one of the fifty daughters of Danaus
* ''Rhode'' (spider), a genus of spiders
*Rhode (surname)
*Rhode, County Offaly, an Irish town
*Rh ...
.
As part of the larger government restructuring into a departmental system in 1935, the Department of Public Works was created under PL 1935, chapter 2188. This department took over the responsibilities of the State Board of Public Roads, and included a division of roads and bridges, a division of public buildings, a division of state airports, and a division of harbors and rivers.
In 1970 the Rhode Island Department of Transportation was created by statutory authority in PL 1970, chapter 111 (RIGL §42-13-1) in order to bring together in one department all responsibilities relating to transportation. The newly formed Department of Transportation took over the functions of the Department of Public Works, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, and the Council on Highway Safety.
See also
*
Numbered routes in Rhode Island
The U.S. state of Rhode Island has 70 state highways, coordinated and signed by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). Most of these are partly or fully state highways, roads owned and maintained by RIDOT. Every city and town in ...
*
Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. In 202 ...
*
Rhode Island Department of Revenue
The Rhode Island Department of Revenue (RIDOR) is a state agency of Rhode Island responsible for collection of taxes and distribution of state revenue, as well as administration of state laws governing driver licensing, and motor vehicle sale an ...
*
T. F. Green Airport
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is a public international airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, south of the state's capital and largest city of Providence. Opened in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Islan ...
References
External links
Official websiteRhode Island Highway ConditionsGuide to the Department of Transportation State Photolog Highway filmsfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
A Highway Program for Rhode Islandfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Department of Transportation Archeology Seriesfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Department of Transportation Bridge negatives and microfilmfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Department of Transportation Bridge photo albums box listfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Guide to the Turnpike and Bridge Authority photographs, clippings and drawingsfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Historic Bridge Inventory Part III: Preservation Planfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
*
{{authority control
Transportation in Rhode Island
State departments of transportation of the United States
State agencies of Rhode Island
1970 establishments in Rhode Island