H 7502Roads & Highways

Highways - Sidewalks

The state will assume responsibility for maintaining sidewalks on state highways, excluding snow and ice removal.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Feb 4, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation clarifies the responsibilities for maintaining sidewalks located along state highways in Rhode Island. It explicitly states that the state government, specifically through the Department of Transportation, is responsible for all structural maintenance of these sidewalks. This means the state must handle repairs and upkeep of the pavement or concrete. However, the bill specifies that the removal of snow and ice remains the exception; the state will not be responsible for winter clearing, leaving that duty to the current responsible parties, typically municipalities or abutting property owners.

For younger readers

This bill creates a new rule about who has to fix the sidewalks that run next to big state roads. If those sidewalks get cracks or holes, the state government will now be the one who has to pay to fix them. However, when it snows in the winter, the state will not come to shovel or plow them. The people who live nearby or the local town will still have to clear the snow and ice, just like they do now.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Municipal GovernmentsRI Department of TransportationPedestriansProperty Owners abutting state highwaysState Taxpayers

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Promotes equity in infrastructure by ensuring that sidewalk quality is maintained by the state rather than relying on the varying budget capabilities of individual towns, potentially benefiting lower-income municipalities.
Enhances pedestrian safety and accessibility, which is crucial for individuals who rely on walking or public transit, including the elderly and those without cars.
Relieves financial pressure on municipal budgets, allowing towns to redirect funds toward other local social services or community needs.
Fails to address the accessibility barrier of snow and ice removal, leaving this burden on locals and potentially endangering pedestrians with disabilities during winter months.
Allocating state transportation funds to sidewalk maintenance without a dedicated revenue source could potentially divert resources away from other progressive priorities like public transit expansion.
Centralizing maintenance at the state level could lead to slower response times for repairs in urban communities compared to local management, potentially neglecting immediate neighborhood safety hazards.

For Conservatives

Clarifies legal jurisdiction and liability, adhering to the rule of law by explicitly defining the state's role versus local responsibilities regarding infrastructure.
Reduces the financial burden on local municipalities, potentially mitigating the need for increases in local property taxes to fund infrastructure repairs.
Avoids expanding the state government's role into labor-intensive daily operations by keeping snow and ice removal—a task best handled locally—out of state hands.
Expands the size and scope of state government responsibility, likely leading to increased state spending and potentially higher state taxes in the future.
Diminishes local control over community infrastructure, transferring decision-making power about repair prioritization to state bureaucrats.
Creates a potential inefficiency where a distant state agency manages local assets, which is often viewed as less effective than local management.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 8 additions

SECTION 1. Section 24-7-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 24-7 entitled "Sidewalks" is hereby amended to read as follows: 24-7-8. Sidewalks along state highways.

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall be held to oust the state of jurisdiction over any such sidewalks and curbing as may be made, laid, or constructed upon state highways within a town, but no sidewalks or curbing on state highways shall be made, laid, or constructed without the approval of the director of transportation first being had and obtained as to the feasibility, location, type, and time of construction.

(b) All maintenance of sidewalks along state highways, shall be the responsibility of the state, with the exception of snow and ice removal on those sidewalks.

SECTION 2. Section 24-8-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 24-8 entitled "Construction and Maintenance of State Roads" is hereby amended to read as follows: 24-8-6. Authority for sidewalks and curbs.

(a) The director of transportation shall have the power and authority to make, lay in and upon, and construct sidewalks, including curbs, adjacent to and along either or any one side or both sides of any state road, now constructed, in the process of construction, or to be constructed, which in his or her opinion and judgment require sidewalks and curbs for pedestrian travel.

(b) All maintenance of sidewalks along state highways, shall be the responsibility of the state, with the exception of snow and ice removal on those sidewalks.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.