Rhode Island Takes Top Spot For Nation’s Worst Roads. Where Does Your State Rank?

Study Finds ^ | November 25, 2025 | Swiftdrain

[animal172]

Providence, RI is the worst I’ve seen in my travels. The city streets were so bad I wouldn’t ride my Harley.

[Blennos]

Hmmm. The worst roads but the highest dollar spending on roads per mile. Where is the money going?

[Red Badger]

Blue state graft.....................

[Red Badger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf67QAzD5F8

[Sacajaweau]

Creative graph...NYS at 13?? Maybe looking at cost...but roads bridges in cr** condition...we belong near the top for crappy road conditions.

[Red Badger]

13 is pretty high up...............

[V_TWIN]

Last time I was in D.C. they weren’t so great either.

[1Old Pro]

New York is usually in the top quintile in “worst anything” so I’m surprised we are just outside that mark at #13.

We still lead in taxes and wasteful spending, something to be proud of.

[Blennos]

Yup. Quite a lot of phony spending in these blue states. What is it about dems and corruption? I’m starting to see a pattern here.

[Carry_Okie]

California invests billions annually in transportation infrastructure but has 14,220 miles of poor-condition highways, second only to Texas.

California has some of the highest spending per lane mile. Yet for the most part, California doesn't freeze either, especially in coastal areas where most of the population is.

[fhayek]

I have an informal indicator to gauge the financial condition of governments (and shopping centers for that matter). It is my roads and parking lot indicator. You want to know if a shopping center or business is having financial problems? Check out the condition of its parking lot. If it is cracked and full of craters, they are stressed, financially speaking. Why? New parking lots are expensive, and it is one expense that the business thinks they can put off for another year (or two).

Same with local governments. Roads should be a priority with local governments, but they feel that there are more votes to be won from direct social services payments to its citizens. Couple that with the fact that governments artificially pay something like twice the per mileage cost in order to subsidize union contractors (who are very generous campaign donors), and they find themselves perpetually behind in road upkeep.

Around me, the worst maintained roads are on the native American reservations, despite having (presumably) lucrative revenue streams from casinos. I wonder what is going on there?

[Mrs. B.S. Roberts]

interesting RI ping!
Glad to be in TN!!!

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

“What we typically see is that once small cracks start forming, moisture gets in, freezes, expands, and the road surface begins to break apart,” Sehgal said. “Over time, that turns into potholes, rough patches, and larger sections of pavement failure. When states fall behind on basic maintenance, the damage multiplies quickly, and the costs rise with it.”

This does not explain why Louisiana is second on the list.

[zeestephen]

Maybe R.I. should elect a Socialist Governor and a Socialist Legislature?

Oh, wait...!

[Delta 21]

RI is only about 50 miles sq.
It physically cant have that many bad roads.

[shotgun]

The capital outlay per lane mile is skewed because it allocates the cost of mega-projects to the entire road system.

Examples of this would be the Big Dig in Boston or the 520 Floating Bridge project across Lake Washington.

I was a county engineer at the time of the 520 project which was $1.4 Billion. That much money could have funded 90% of all the city and county road projects submitted to the State and Feds on their Six Year Transportation Plans (STP).

[napscoordinator]

I’m truly surprised Florida isn’t better than 34th. The roads here are dang good. I haven’t seen many if any potholes.

[Red Badger]

Never say ‘can’t have’ to a Democrat...............

[Red Badger]

Coonass corruption................