Rhode Island - Your State's Infrastructure At-A-Glance

Rhode Island Transportation Facts

Airports
Military Facilities & Other Aerodromes	20
Primary and Commercial Airports	3
Public Use Airports, Seaplane Bases	4
Number of Airports	27
Ports & Waterways
Docks	127
Marinas	52
Number of Waterways	179

The design, construction, and operation of the transportation sector in the state supports 29,657 jobs throughout the economy. This includes direct jobs for work performed, indirect jobs supported by supplier industries, and induced employment when workers spend their wages for other goods and services.
Direct employment includes 950 jobs to build and improve transportation infrastructure, plus an additional 8,244 jobs to support system operations and freight transportation.
These workers, employed by 4,042 businesses and agencies, earn over $444 million per year in wages.

82% of workers in the state commute by driving, with 74% driving alone.
The average commute is 25 minutes one way.
65% of workers both live and work in the same county, with 35% working in a different county or state.

The value of freight shipments to and from businesses in Rhode Island will grow from $55 billion in 2023 to $100 billion in 2050, an increase of 80 percent.
Of the $45 billion in domestic trade, 84 percent is shipped by truck.
A total of 76 percent of the value of domestic freight is shipped to businesses located out of state.

There were 51 fatal highway crashes in Rhode Island in 2022, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
These crashes resulted in 52 fatalities.
Of the fatal accidents in the state, 27 percent occured on rural roads and 67 percent were on the National Highway System.

The 2021 federal infrastructure law provides Rhode Island with $1.77 billion over five years to improve its roadway and bridge infrastructure network. See the Top Federal-Aid Highway Projects
Of the 783 bridges in the state, 119, or 15.2 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. This means one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition. Learn More: Bridge Conditions
State highway program revenues in Rhode Island were $812.8 million in 2023, according to the latest data from FHWA.
Roughly 56 percent of all state highway revenues were from the federal government, which by law, must be spent on capital outlays (highway construction, right of way purchases, and planning and design).
On average, 80 percent of state capital outlays in Rhode Island are supported by federal funds.

Urban and rural transit agencies in Rhode Island reported $376.2 million in revenues in 2023, according to the latest data from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration. Funding sources included fare-box revenue, in addition to support from federal, state, and local governments.
These agencies spent $53.5 million on capital investments and $134.6 million for system operations.
Roughly 52 percent of all transit revenue comes from the federal government.

Major airports in Rhode Island received $50.3 million in federal Airport Improvement Program funds in FY 2024, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration.
In 2024, these airports spent $18.1 million on capital investments to improve terminals, runways, roads, and other airport facilities.
The IIJA provided $25 billion in new funding to support the Facilities and Equipment Program, the Airport Infrastructure Grant Program, and the Airport Terminal Program. This is in addition to $3.75 billion in annual funding for capital improvements under the Airport Improvement Program and supplemental discretionary programs.