Middletown DMV's Final Days Bring Out Long Lines, Concerns

Hurry up and wait.

That was a common sentiment among customers who sat patiently and waited Thursday afternoon at the —many for two or more hours.

Some came for a car registration or other DMV business on their to-do list and hoped to squeeze in the errand now to avoid the time-consuming drive off the island beginning Monday.

Newport County's only DMV branch on Valley Road in Middletown will close Friday at 3:30 p.m. and it remains unclear when another location will reopen on Aquidneck Island. A sign inside the DMV Middletown Branch said that another location would be opening in the area "later this year."

Some customers who heard about the DMV closure raised doubts about whether the state would reopen one at all on Aquidneck Island.

Comments from some of those interviews can be seen in the Patch video above.

Rhode Island DMV Administrator Sally Strachan on Monday announced the closure in a press release, stating that the disruption of services will be temporary as the DMV seeks an alternate site. The Middletown branch is closing on Feb. 11 due to the completion of its lease, Strachan stated.

The nearest DMV branch is in Wakefield.

Both State Senator Lou DiPalma and other local area lawmakers have been working to ensure that the local DMV branch stays on Aquidneck Island, specifically in Middletown, DiPalma said. Click here to read more.

Rep.  Daniel Reilly (R-Dist. 72 Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth) has written to DMV Administrator Sara Strachan requesting an explanation for this action and information as it relates to any plans to open a new branch on Aquidneck Island. More can be read about Reilly's concerns here.

Click here to read more about the DMV closure and to find out where Aquidneck Islanders can go in Rhode Island for DMV services.