The State Board of Public Roads was created in 1902 to oversee construction, improvement, and maintenance of state-owned roadways. Prior to the creation of the Rhode Island State Board of Public Roads, the monitoring and maintenance of public roads was scattered and localized. In 1909 an Automobile division was introduced with the responsibility of registering vehicles, issuing plates, and handling other aspects of vehicle administration. This division would become a precursor to the current
Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. As part of the larger government restructuring into a departmental system in 1935, the Department of Public Works was created under PL 1935, chapter 2188. This department took over the responsibilities of the State Board of Public Roads, and included a division of roads and bridges, a division of public buildings, a division of state airports, and a division of harbors and rivers. In 1970 the
Rhode Island Department of Transportation was created by statutory authority in PL 1970, chapter 111 (RIGL §42-13-1) in order to bring together in one department all responsibilities relating to transportation. The newly formed Department of Transportation took over the functions of the Department of Public Works, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, and the Council on Highway Safety. ==See also==