The RhodeWorks plan to repair roads and bridges was approved by the Rhode Island General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Gina M. Raimondo on February 11, 2016. The legislation (2016-H 7409Aaa, 2016 - S 2246Aaa) creates a funding source that will allow the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to repair more than 150 structurally deficient bridges and make repairs to another 500 bridges to prevent them from becoming deficient, bringing 90 percent of the State's bridges into structural sufficiency by 2025.
The Airport Connector is the gateway to Rhode Island for many visitors. It is the first road they experience when arriving at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and the last road before they depart. RIDOT wanted to make this road not only safe and smooth but also beautiful with landscaping that would blend seamlessly with plantings at the airport terminal.
The initial Airport Connector project focused on paving the Connector as well as Route 1 and Route 1A, from Coronado Road to Warwick Avenue. This project also eliminates hazardous drop-offs and improves pedestrian conditions along Post Road with new sidewalks and pedestrian ramps.
Improvements to Route 37 will be made in two separate projects that will rehabilitate or replace 22 bridges and make safety and congestion improvements in this critical east-west freeway in central Rhode Island, linking the cities of Cranston and Warwick, major retail, office and residential areas, Interstate highways and T.F. Green State Airport. With a daily traffic count of 42,000 vehicles, Route 37 is one of the state's busiest corridors.
Built in the 1960s, this freeway’s bridges are now deteriorating under increasing vehicular volumes and freight demands. Almost half of the Route 37 bridges are classified as being in poor condition.
We are grateful for the efforts of Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation in securing a $20 million TIGER grant for Phase 1 and a $21 million BUILD grant for Phase 2 to make these improvements possible.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has started a preliminary design and environmental study to assess what would be necessary to build the infrastructure necessary to accommodate Amtrak intercity service at the Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick. The study is a joint venture among RIDOT, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Amtrak, The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) and the City of Warwick.
The project will resurface 10 miles of the Washington Secondary Bike Path, which connects the communities of Coventry, West Warwick, Warwick and Cranston. The path provides an efficient and safe link for cyclists and walkers within these communities for recreation and for commuting to work and school.
RIDOT began construction in Spring 2024 with full depth repairs to the path where large cracks or damage from tree roots had degraded the path surface. This approach will provide a more durable and long-lasting repair for the bike path. Paving will follow in late summer.
A $19.9 million project is underway for the Route 5 corridor (Lambert Lind Highway/Greenwich Avenue) from Mayfield Avenue in Cranston to the I-95 overpass in Warwick. The project includes replacement of the large, four-lane Pontiac Bridge over the Pawtuxet River.
Route 5 carries 21,000 vehicles per day and serves many homes and business including the Warwick Mall. The bridge work originally was scheduled to happen a few years after the road work but RIDOT chose to combine the projects to minimize the impact to drivers and take advantage of savings associated with having a single contractor instead of two.
The $22.9 million Division Street Bridge replacement project will take one more deficient bridge off the RhodeWorks list. Division Street Bridge carries Division Street over Route 4 in East Greenwich and accommodates 14,000 vehicles daily. It's another of the many deficient bridges in Rhode Island that require expensive interim repair projects to keep them in service.
We will completely replace the Park Avenue Railroad Bridge, which carries Park Avenue (Route 12) over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Elmwood Avenue (Route 1) and Wellington Avenue in Cranston. The bridge has been structurally deficient for many years and dates back to 1906.
RIDOT is starting a $42.6 million construction project to rehabilitate bridges that carry I-295 at its interchange with Routes 6 and 6A in Johnston (Exit 9). Starting on November 16, 2018, this work will require temporary traffic pattern changes including ramp and lane closures that will create congestion and delays.
This project included the complete rebuilding of the superstructures, substructures and approaches for the Centerville Road Bridge and the Toll Gate Bridges which carry I-95 over those respective roads. Although not structurally deficient, both of these bridges were in fair condition which is one step from structural deficiency.
The Reservoir Avenue roadway improvements project covered 1.8 miles from Sockanosset Cross Road to Park Ave. Work included resetting existing granite and replacing existing concrete curb. RIDOT also replaced sidewalks and made existing sidewalks compliant with the Bus Stop Design Guide, ADA requirements, and accessibility. The project also modified bus stops per RIPTA input and made pedestrian signal improvements for ADA requirements.
* All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.