H 7882Roads & Highways

Public Utilities and Carriers - Rhode Island Utility Fair Share Roadway Repair Act

Public utility companies must notify nearby property owners at least 48 hours before completely closing a road for work.

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Affected

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Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This legislation requires public utility companies to notify the community before closing a road for repairs or work. Specifically, if a utility company needs to completely close any part of a state or municipal highway, they must provide notice to all residential and business property owners located within 1,000 feet of the closure. This notification must be delivered at least 48 hours before the scheduled work begins. This ensures that nearby residents and businesses are aware of upcoming disruptions to traffic and access.

For younger readers

Sometimes, companies that provide water, electricity, or gas need to fix things under the street. If they have to close the whole street to do this work, this new rule says they must tell the people living or working nearby first. The companies have to give a warning at least two days before the road closes. This warning goes to every home and business within a short walking distance (about 1,000 feet) of the work zone, so people know they can't drive down that street.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Public utility companiesResidential property ownersBusiness property ownersCommutersMunicipal public works departments

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Enhances community well-being by ensuring residents, particularly those with mobility issues or reliance on public transit, are forewarned about accessibility disruptions near their homes.
Protects small local businesses and workers by allowing them time to adjust schedules or notify customers of road closures, preventing unexpected loss of income.
Increases corporate accountability by mandating that powerful utility monopolies communicate directly with the neighborhoods they impact, rather than acting unilaterally.
Does not specify the method of notification (e.g., mail vs. digital), which could lead to inequitable access to information for low-income residents without internet or non-English speakers.
The administrative costs associated with identifying and notifying property owners could be passed down to ratepayers, disproportionately burdening lower-income households with higher utility bills.
May create bureaucratic delays for necessary infrastructure repairs, potentially prolonging service issues in neglected neighborhoods.

For Conservatives

Respects property rights by ensuring that home and business owners are kept informed about government-sanctioned disruptions occurring in the immediate vicinity of their private property.
Protects local commerce by giving business owners the necessary information to mitigate the economic damage caused by road closures and blocked access.
Places a check on utility monopolies, ensuring they cannot disrupt public infrastructure and taxpayer-funded roads without being accountable to the local citizenry.
Imposes additional government red tape and regulatory burdens on private utility companies, which interferes with efficient business operations.
Mandates an arbitrary 1,000-foot notification radius that may be excessive and costly to implement, rather than allowing the market to determine best practices for customer service.
Increases operational costs for businesses which will ultimately be paid for by the consumer, acting as a hidden tax on services.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 5 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 39-2.2 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Utility Fair Share Roadway Repair Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 39-2.2-6. Roadwork closure notice. Any public utility company that needs to completely close any portion of any state or municipal highway, in order to perform roadway repairs or other related work, shall provide to all residential and business property owners located within one thousand feet (1,000 ft) of the road closure, with at least forty-eight (48) hours' notice of the scheduled road closure.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.