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Remember when RIDOT was able to build and repair roads?

Starting in the late '60's and early '70's, RI legislators, at the behest of their mob friends who are (silent) partners in the construction companies, began to gut the RIDOT budget and transfer more of the road construction and repair work to contractors under the guise of "savings" to the budget; this continued until RIDOT (and RI municipalities followed suit, particularly Providence) until highway departments were gutted and can do little more than fill potholes.

Unfortunately, those legislators are long-since retired or taking dirt naps and won't or can't explain why they chose such a shortsighted solution, other than threats or the largesse of the contractors and their "partners".

Fast-forward to today, and RI'ers are at the mercy of construction contractors with bloated budgets, schedules, material costs, and poor safety records. Contracts can be written to hold their feet to the fire and make them competitive, but at the DOT, the fix is in and there's plenty of wiggle room for the Contractors. After all, no one wants to get beaten up in the parking lot or have their vehicle damaged for not hiring the "right" contractor.

It's sad to see other States repair their own roads, sometimes in a matter of days, or build 20 miles of roads and bridges in less than two years.

What a windfall for the connected (again), Giner.