New England’s Rural Roads In Poor Shape

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Motorcyclists who ride the back roads of New England know just how bad they can be. Potholes, cracks and uneven pavement can make maneuvering a challenge. A new report released this week by the non-profit national transportation research group TRIP confirms it, revealing that the New England states have some of the worst roads in the nation.

The report reveals that 41 percent of rural roads in Rhode Island are in poor condition, ranking the state No. 1 in the U.S. An additional 33 percent of rural roads in Rhode Island are in mediocre condition, suggesting that nearly three-quarters of the roads in the state need dramatic improvement.

Coming in second place overall was Connecticut with 39 percent of its roads in poor shape, with an additional 34 percent in mediocre condition. The report is labeled “Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America’s Heartland.”

Vermont ranked seventh with 24 percent of its roads in poor shape. Maine came in 15th place with 19 percent. Massachusetts finished 24th with 13 percent. No word on how New Hampshire did as far as rural road conditions as the report only listed the 25 worst states.

Rhode Island also finished first in the category of structurally deficient rural bridges with 22 percent in bad shape. Maine was 10th with 15 percent. New Hampshire finished 14th with 13 percent, with Massachusetts in 22nd place wth 10 percent. No ranking for Connecticut, but a press release stated that eight percent of its bridges are structurally deficient. Six percent of Vermont’s bridges were deficient.

The report also listed the fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled on rural roads and the fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled on all other roads. None of the New England states came in the Top 25 in either category.

However, a press release revealed that Connecticut had 1.45 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled on rural roads and Rhode Island had 1.03 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled on rural roads, which, in both cases, was “nearly double the fatality rate on all other roads in the state.”

The press release quoted AAA for Greater Hartford spokesperson Amy Parmenter as saying, “It is not like public transportation is an option for those who live outside our urban centers. Connecticut’s rural roads must be adequately maintained – and safe. With fatal crashes up sharply and, according to TRIP, so many of those crashes happening on rural roads, improvements must be made sooner rather than later.”

– By Bud Wilkinson