Rhode Island General Laws Title 24. Highways § 24-8-26. Removal of snow and ice from bridges--Notice of defects

(a) Every town or city in which any bridge is located, which shall be maintained by the state under the provisions of this chapter, shall at its own expense keep the bridge within its limits sufficiently clear of snow and ice so that the bridge shall be reasonably safe for traveling, and shall at once notify in writing the director of transportation or the director's employees of any defect or want of repair in the bridge. The director of transportation shall upon the receipt of the information notify any public utility using the bridge of the defect or want of repair.

(b) All storage piles or areas where road de-icing agents are stored within the Scituate watershed shall be adequately covered and stored on an impervious base to mitigate runoff impacts to ground and surface waters. The director of the department of transportation shall ensure where funds allow, that all drivers, loaders, and handlers of de-icing agents within any watershed participate in training sessions in the proper application and control of road de-icing agents; that de-icing vehicles, wherever feasible, operating within the Scituate watershed area equipped with sensor devices to control the spread rate of de-icing materials in relation to the speed of the vehicle.

(c) For purposes of this section the “ Scituate watershed” shall mean the total drainage area into the Scituate Reservoir -- an area of some 92.8 square miles in the towns of Scituate, Johnston, Foster, Glocester, and Smithfield -- which because of its topography, soil type, and drainage patterns acts as a collector of rain waters which replenish or regorge existing public drinking water supplies in the Scituate Reservoir.